The Story of Five: A Ronin Warriors Fanfiction
by Lady Ava
Summary: Have you ever wondered about how the five Ronin met? Why is Sage's hair so blond? How Ryo's mother and father died? Well, those questions plus many more will be answered in this origin story. (Please read and review)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors __

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors. No matter how many times I've asked for the rights to them, I sadly do not own them.

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The Story of Five

A Ronin Warriors Fanfiction

By: Lady Ava

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Prologue 

It was a warm day during the summer. Late June to be correct. All of the public schools in Japan had been let out for summer vacation, so all was well in the lives of the children of Japan. As the young children flooded from their elementary schools and ran into the streets of Tokyo, a man and his tiger cub watched from atop one of the skyscrapers. He studied the young children carefully, making sure not to miss a single characteristic about them. That's when he saw whom he was seeking. At first, the youths didn't seem that special from the looks of them. One of the small boys had tiger blue eyes that seemed so rare. Another one had wore a yellow headband on his forehead that held back his ash colored hair, while his friend beside him had long brown hair. The fourth youth had blue hair and the last of the kids had light brown hair that hung over one of his eyes. 

The man smiled at those youths as they ran. "Two of them know one another already. But soon they will know each other. What do you think, White Blaze?" The man asked to the tiny cub in his arms. 

The cub made a small purr and licked his hand. Looking up at the sky, the man raised the rim of his straw hat. He closed his eyes and let the wind run through his long silver hair. "At the age of fourteen, Wildfire, Torrent, Hard Rock, Strata, and Halo will become one. They will battle the evil force that is trying to break through the gates of time and space. And I know…that the Ronin Warriors will not fall to the hand of the Dynasty."


	2. The Meeting of Five

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors __

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors. But wish I did….

**Author's Note**: _Okay, I know. I know. This doesn't go along with most of the original story line of the Ronin Warriors. But this is my view of how everything came to together before the Television show started. So, don't flame me over little things that I might have changed. It will all come together in the end_. 

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Chapter One

The Meeting of Five

By: Lady Ava 

"Ryo! Get up honey. You're going to be late for school!" A sweet voice called through a small house in the woods. 

Sitting up in bed, a young teen shook his head. His shoulder-length black hair hung loosely down his back as he sat there, panting lightly. Ryo's deep tiger blue eyes looked through the darkness of his small bedroom. Reaching up, he grasped his brow with a sweaty palm. "Man, what a nightmare." He thought as he looked over at his end table. 

For the past week, Ryo had the same nightmare over and over. A mysterious red orb floated in front of him. He tried to reach it every time, but each time it would slip away from his grasp. Then, the fiery circle would vanish and four outlines of four people would appear before him. They were all surrounded by different colored light. One was covered in a deep green glow, while another was showered in orange. The other two were blanketed with two different shades of blue; one light and one dark. He had no idea what his dream was trying to tell him, so it never progressed any farther than that. 

His eyes wandered over the lap until finally, they came to rest on a silver picture frame. The photo inside of the frame was of three people. A man, woman, and a small child stood there smiling back at the troubled teen. Reaching over from his bed, Ryo picked up the fragile picture into his hands. "Father…Tell me…Who are those four?" He murmured, tracing the features of the man.

Ryo's father had died six years go when he went of safari in Africa. He went out late from camp to try to get some shots of the large cats hunting that night. While he was shooting, one of the cats got temperamental and attacked. The members of his crew found him early that morning, barely alive. They brought him back to camp and tried to fix him up, but it was no use. He died on the operation table, leaving his wife and eight-year-old son behide.

Shaking the memory from his head, the black haired teen stood from his bed and placed the picture back onto the table. Walking over to his closet, Ryo picked out his school soccer jersey and a pair of baggy jeans to wear out to school. Looking himself over in the mirror once, the teen grabbed his backpack and headed to the kitchen. 

Upon reaching the doorway, Ryo was met with the smell of pancakes and freshly cooked bacon. "Morning, mom." He stated happily as he slumped down into his chair at the table. 

Turning from the stove, a black haired and blue eyed woman greeted her son. "I'm glad to see you finally got up, dear. Quickly eat up so you can get to school on time." She said, placing a plate in front of her son. 

Taking the plate from his mother, Ryo quickly ate the food in front of him. Within five minutes, the entire plate was cleaned off completely. As her son handed the empty plate back to her, Mrs. Sanada laughed. "Honestly Ryo. I don't know who eats more. You or White Blaze." She laughed, turning to place the plate into the dishwasher. 

Rolling his eyes at his mother's comment, Ryo stood from the table. "Very funny mom." He stated, walking up to her. Kissing her goodbye, Ryo turned and ran towards the front door. 

The warm morning September sun hit Ryo's face as he walked out onto the porch of his family's home. He smiled as he walked down the path towards the main road. The sound of the animals and the wind rushing through the trees was always Ryo's favorite part of living in the mountains. The rays of the sun shown through the small holes in between each of the leaves, making the path he walked on look as if it were spotted. 

While Ryo strode down the path, he let out a high pitched whistle that echoed through the surrounding area. As he continued to walk, the sound of heavy breathing came rushing towards him. The sound of paws hitting the brush and twigs rushed past his side. Suddenly, a large white tiger leapt from the bushes and onto the path. The teen smiled as he saw the cat. "Morning White Blaze. I'll see you a bit later, okay?" Ryo asked, petting the cat's head. Letting out a deep purr, the feline nodded. Smiling, the black haired teen ran off towards the main road.

*************************

"Rowen! Get up or you're going to miss your bus!" A husky male voice stated from at the base of the stairs. 

The blue haired teen sat up in his bed. Looking around, he noticed that his blinds had been opened up to there widest, revealing his messy room. There were stacks of papers with notes, equations, and questions everywhere. Textbooks covered his desk, window seat, and floor, all of with were highlighted, torn, and folded. Yawning, Rowen reached down onto the floor, trying to find his alarm clock. He had thrown it there earlier, in an attempt to get more sleep.

Finally, he grasped onto the small digital clock. Looking down at the numbers, Rowen suddenly became wide-eyed. "AHH! It's 6:50! I gonna miss the bus!" He shouted, jumping out of bed.

Running over to his closet, the panic stricken teen grabbed a pair of baggy jeans, his student council shirt, and his jacket. Throwing his school clothes on, Rowan ran over to his desk and scooped up a small stack of exam review packets and three of the largest textbooks on the desk. Quickly looking at the binding, the boy read aloud, "College Calculus, Advanced Aerodynamics, and Advanced English Literature." Nodding in agreement, Rowen grabbed his backpack from his desk chair and rushed from his room.

Jumping down the last three stairs, Rowen slid on the wooden floor and into the kitchen. "Morning Dad!" He shouted as he caught the counter for support. Throwing his books and papers onto the counter, the adolescent grabbed his glasses from next to the small television. "I was looking for these." He stated, hurrying over to the table to grab a bagel from the plate in the center.

"Rowen, you need to learn not to stay up so late studying or else you're going to keep missing the bus to school." His father scolded. Rowen's father was a skilled scientist who was known all over the world for his research. Breakfast was pretty much the only time the two people got to see each other. 

Rowen rolled his eyes. "Dad, I would love to stay and chat, but I got a bus to catch." The blue haired teen stated, throwing the food into his bag. Lugging the heavy backpack over his shoulder, Rowen grabbed the remaining books from the counter. "I'll see you after school!" He called from the doorway. Before his father could say anything, Rowen slammed the door shut and he was gone. 

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An old gentleman walked through the corridors of an old Japanese Kendo dojo. He was completely silent, except for his sandals shuffling across the wooden floor. As he walked, he would stop to open a sliding door that let the sunlight shine inside. 

Reaching the end of the hallway, the man opened the final door in front of him. The room before him was a dimly lit one with the smell of incense hanging in the air. In the center of the room, a young teen sat cross-legged in the center of a small circle of the sweet smelling herbs. He was already dressed in his school clothes, which were a pair of khakis, a green t-shirt with a short sleeved flannel shirt over it. His brown hair was spiked in the way he wanted it and his books and backpack sat next to the door neatly.

The older man walked inside and cleared his throat loudly. "Good morning, Grandfather." The teen said, standing from the floor.

"Good morning Sage. I'm glad to see that you have completed your morning meditation." The man stated as he moved to open the doors to let the light into the room.

Sage lived in the dojo with his grandfather. His parents and younger sibling, Setine, lived in the main house next door. Although the teen slept and ate in the main house, he spent all his extra time inside the dojo, training to learn how to run it.

"Have you seen anything interesting in your visions?" The man asked as he helped the teen put out the remaining sticks of incense.

Placing the herbs into a bowl of water, Sage averted his gaze to the floor. "I saw four teens. They were dressed in ancient armor." He started. "They seemed very familiar to me. But I don't know why."

"You will find out soon enough. Do not let it rest on your mind for the rest of the day." The old man stated calmly. 

Nodding, Sage smiled. "I better get going. I don't want to be late." He told his elder, moving to pick up his books and school Kendo jacket.

"Go out the back way today." His grandfather stated calmly, opening the garden doors.

The warm light flooded the room, causing Sage to squint a bit. "Why? I always go out the front." He questioned.

"Because Cindy, Leona, and Katherine are waiting outside for you." Grandfather Date told his grandson with a smile.

Nodding, Sage blushed. "Thanks. I'll take the back way." Jumping outside into the garden, Sage bowed. "See you after school." And with that, he ran off towards the back gate. 

******************************

"Sai! Kento's here!" A woman's voice called through a loft apartment. Looking up from the counter in the kitchen, a brown haired teen smiled. His features were very boyish for someone the age of fourteen. His hair came down to about his shoulders and eyes matched his locks perfectly. He wore a pair of loose jeans, his swim team long sleeve shirt and a watch hooked onto one of the belt loops.

"Hey Sai! How's it going?" Another boy stated, walking into the kitchen. He had ash colored hair his violet eyes. His outfit consisted of baggy jeans, a skater tee, a leather jacket, and his backpack. 

Sai smiled as he watched his friend walk in and sit at the kitchen table. "Hello Kento. I'll be there in one second." The teen told his friend in a light Australian accent. 

Sniffing the air, Kento licked his lips. "Man, something smells great in here. What are you cooking?" He asked, hoping that he could get a piece of whatever it was. 

"Sorry Kento. I'm not the one who cooked it. That would be my mother's handy work." Sai told his friend, causing his built friend to sulk. Rolling his eyes, the teenager picked up his bag and jacket. Walking into the family room, he called over towards the bedrooms. "Mom! We're leaving! See ya after school!" Sai called as he and Kento exited into the hallway.

****************************

Rowen rushed towards the bus stop, trying to hold onto the mountain of papers in his arms. As he ran, he saw the final people boarding the mass transit. "Hey! Hold that bus!" He shouted down the street. Breaking into a full out sprint, the teen tried to catch the bus. 

Suddenly, the doors to the bus closed and the massive car began to speed away, blowing black smoke from its tailpipe. Rowen ran right into the small cloud of carbon dioxide, causing him to cough wildly. As he hacked, his books and papers flew from his arms and onto the street. "Come…back!" He coughed out. 

While the smoke began to clear a bit, a small breeze blew, causing the papers to fly everywhere. "Aw man!" Rowen shouted, trying to catch his homework. 

Bending down, he began to recollect his papers. "Hey, did you loose this?" A voice said from above him. Looking up, Rowen came face to face with a boy his age. He had brown hair that covered one of his light blue eyes. He was holding out his review packet for Advanced Aerodynamics. 

"Yea, thanks for catching it. I would be dead without it." Rowen stated, rising to his feet. 

The teen's eyes met directly as Rowen stood. "Hey, I know you. You're Rowen Hashiba. You're in my English class." The youth stated. 

It took Rowen a moment, but finally, he remembered. "Yea. And you're Sage Date, the school's Kendo Team captain." 

"Yup, that's me." Sage laughed. Looking down at Rowen's arms, he saw all the different review packets and notes. "Man, finals aren't for another eight months, what's with all the review work?" 

Rowen looked down at his armload of books. "I wanted to get a head start. Besides, I finished the required work for freshmen and I'm moving onto the sophomore stuff." He explained. 

"Ah, I got ya." Sage stated sweatdroping. "Hey, I know a shortcut to school from here. Care to join me, considering you missed your bus?" 

Rowen looked down the busy street and sighed. "Sure. I can't wait here for the next one. Let's go." 

*************************

Upon arriving at their school, Sage and Rowen walked up the stone steps towards the main doors. The school was one of the older ones in the city. It was made completely from fine stone and it was larger than other schools. Its large clock tower still had an open belfry and there was a large open courtyard where all the students hung out before their first period class began.

While the two teens sat on the stone wall, Rowen scanned the area, looking as if he were searching for something.

"Hey, who ya lookin' for?" Sage asked.

Smiling, Rowen began to wave his arm in the air. "Hey Sai! Kento! Over here!" 

As the blue haired teen rested his hand on the wall again, two other boys came walking over. One had brown hair and brown eyes, while the other one had ash colored hair and violet eyes. "Hey, morning Rowen." The brown haired teen stated, his accent very noticeable. 

"Sage, I'd like you to meet two friends of mine. This is Sai Mouri and Kento Rei Fuan." Rowen introduced. 

Kento and Sai bowed and Sage returned the gesture. "Sorry we're late, Ro. But Kento insisted that he stop to get some breakfast." Sai explained, rolling his eyes at his large friend. 

"I can't help it if I'm into food, dude." Kento quickly shot back in his defense. 

Raising an eyebrow, Sage studied Sai. "I haven't seen you before. Did you just move here or something?" He asked.

"I used to go to school across town. But since the district borders we're redone, I was transferred here."

Kento looked at his friend in question. "So then, how do you know Rowen?" 

Rowen lowered his head and blushed. "Although I'm great when it comes to Math, English, World Cultures and Science, I suck when it comes to cooking. Sai helped me pass home economics."

**__**

Flashback

Rowen sat in home economics his eight grade year, trying desperately to follow the recipe in front of him. He sat there next to the stove, scratching his head in question. "I'm not getting this at all." He shouted to himself, slumping down on the stool.

"What don't you get? Maybe I can help you?" A voice asked from above. Looking up, Rowen came face to face with a pair of brown eyes and a smiling face. The teen had a slight Australian accent and had very brown long hair. "What do you need help on?" He asked. 

Standing up, Rowen pointed over to all of the supplies. "I have no idea what I'm going. The only thing I know how to cook is a mircowaveable dinner. And even those always taste nasty when I cook them." He told the other teen.

Smiling, the youth walked past Rowen and into his little kitchen. "I'll be your partner and help ya out so that you can help you pass." The teen offered grinning. 

"You will? My god, thank you so much…" Rowen started, but paused because he didn't know the teen's name. 

"I'm Sai. Sai Mouri. And you are?" He asked, extending a hand out to Rowen. 

Smiling, Rowen accepted the hand. "I'm Rowen Hashiba." 

**_End Flashback _**

Pretending to be shocked, Kento fell off of the wall and into the bushes. "Oh dear god! The all mighty Rowen can't cook! He is NOT perfect!" He laughed, trying to pull himself from the brush. 

"Very funny." The blue hair teen mumbled. 

"Yea, I thought it was." The teen stated, climbing back over the wall. 

Rolling his eyes, Sage looked over at Kento. "Where do you know Rowen from?"

As he sat back onto the wall, Kento curled his upper lip in thought. "Um…where did I meet blue boy here? That is a good question. Well, he was tutoring me."

"In almost every subject." Rowen added. 

The ash haired teen glared over at the teen. "Do you want to take a trip into the bushes?" He asked in a joking treating tone. 

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the center of the courtyard, causing everyone to look over to see what was happening. A large teenage boy, maybe about seventeen years old had thrown a garbage can onto the stairs. He was a built boy, with very wide shoulders. His crew cut hair made him look like an army reject. 

"Sanada! How dare you show your face around here after what you did yesterday!" He called angrily. 

As he moved to the side a bit, the four teens saw a much shorter boy standing in front of him, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His tiger blue eyes shot a dangerous stare in the older boy's direction. His shoulder length black hair was messed a bit. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked.

"You passed me in soccer and got captain! No one beats me in soccer. NO ONE!" The teen shouted even louder. 

The younger teen rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess I did." He stated calmly. 

"That's it!" The older boy made a lunge at the tiger eyed stranger. Sanada leapt into the air and jumped on top of the older teen's head. Then, running down his back, he kicked him over into a pile of leaves and landed perfectly on the top step of the stairs. 

Snuffing at the teen, the black haired boy looked around to see that he had brought a large amount of attention to himself. Blushing madly, he turned on his and rushed inside the school

As the doors to the school closed behind him, the courtyard burst out into conversation about what had just occurred. "Man, all that just because of soccer. Damn…" Kento began, his eyes still wide. 

"Who was the shorter of the two? Do you know?" Sai questioned. 

Rowen shrugged. "Never seen him before. Have you Kento?" 

"Nope. Have you Sage?" The teen asked. 

"I've never seen him before." Sage stated. Looking up at the doors, he sighed. 'But for some strange reason, I feel as if I should.' He thought to himself.

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The morning seemed to fly by. The four teens pasted each other in the hallway on their way to their classes and some of them even had classes together. The last class before lunch, World Cultures, all four of the teens had together. They sat at the same table of desks, so that they could work together on the in-class assignment that their teacher had given them to do on Ancient Samurai. 

"Man, this is so boring. Why do we even have to study this? Its not like we haven't studied them before." Kento complained, rocking back in his chair. 

The others laughed at the teen's bluntness. That's when they heard one of the girls across the room shout. "Mr. Fuji! Can we interview Ryo for our project?" She asked loudly. 

"Ms. Lily, what ever for?" Mr. Fuji asked angrily. 

Smiling, the girl pointed down at the boy in her group. "Because he's from a Samurai family and knows about all the rituals they perform."

Looking over at Lily's table, the four teens saw whom she was pointing to. "Hey, it's that guy from this morning." Sai whispered. 

But he didn't seem tough while he had all his attention brought upon himself. He was sitting low in his chair, his face as bright red as his soccer jersey. His black hair hung over his eyes as he tried to avoid eye contact with any other the other teens. Quietly, the teen looked up and asked, "Could you stop drawing so much attention to us?" 

"Oh Ryo. Loosen up a bit. My god." Lily told the teen sternly. 

Finally, the bell rang for lunch. Gathering his belongings quickly, Ryo stood from his desk and sprinted out the door. 

The four teens sat there wide-eyed. "Man, he moves fast." Rowen told, stating the well known. 

Grabbing their positions, the teens headed for the courtyard where everyone ate their lunches. Walking out into the warm October sun, Kento sighed. "This is great! I love it when it's warm out." He said happily. 

As the others continued to talk to each other about homework that they had received already, Sage stopped in his tracks. Looking over by one of the largest trees, he saw Ryo sitting there, eating his lunch alone. He was reading a thick book and seemed as if he had forgotten what had happened during class. "Guys, I'll catch up with up." The teen said suddenly, causing the others to look behind them at their friend. 

Sage turned and headed over to where Ryo was stretched out. "Sage, where are you going?" Sai asked. 

"To talk to someone." He stated simply. 'Ryo, huh? If my meditation is correct, than we will be friends…and allies.' 

***************************

Ryo looked up from his book and sighed. 'Man, when will people learn that I'm not a big group kinda guy. Lily can be so annoying sometimes.' He thought as he looked up through the branches of the tree. 

"Hey." A voice stated from next to him. Looking over, Ryo saw Sage standing there, smiling. "I'm Sage Date. And you are…" He asked, extending a hand towards Ryo. 

Looking at Sage's hand, Ryo grinned. "Ryo…Ryo Sanada. It's nice to meet ya, Sage." He told him as he grasped Sage's hand and shook it. 

"Ya mind if I sit here? This is the only place in the entire courtyard that has a decent amount of shade." Sage asked, grinning even wider than before. 

Nodding, Ryo moved his books and other papers to the side. Looking past Sage as he sat, Ryo saw three of Sage's friends still standing there, wondering what their friend was doing. "Ya know, your friends can come and sit as well." Ryo offered. 

"Okay. Hey guys! Come on over." Sage called over to the others. 

As the three other teens sat, they exchanged introductions with Ryo. That lunch period would be the start of the guys' friendship and alliance, just as Sage predicted. 

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While they sat, ate, and laughed their lunch away, a man stood on top of the school's bell tower. He smiled as he saw the bond being formed. "The warriors have met. Now, it is only a matter of time until the powers being to emerge." He stated into the wind. 

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~ What do you think so far? I hope you are enjoying my first Ronin Warriors story in over six long months. Please Read and Review ~


	3. The Five Elements

Disclaimer: Oh joy…legal stuff __

Disclaimer: Oh joy…legal stuff. All right…I do not own the Ronin Warriors…but god, I wish I did. 

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Chapter Two

~ The Five Elements ~

By: Lady Ava

The next few weeks of school seemed to go as smoothly as possible. The five teens became close friends and did pretty much everything together. Not one of them had ever had such a strong bond with a group of friends before, with made it all the better of them. 

Ryo had been having strange dreams ever since he met his four new friends. It was always the same thing. A figure shrouded in darkness stood before him, whispering something to him. Although the words had been almost inaudible, Ryo seemed to understand him. But he would always awake with a start from these dreams and would never be able to get back to sleep. 

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That day during Chemistry class, Rowen and Ryo had to be lab partners for an experiment. Since it was late December, the class had to do the experiment inside, although to their teacher's dismay. "Although we should be doing this outdoors, I feel there is no time like the present to do this experiment." The woman educator told her students happily. She had long curly red hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her white lab coat was a bit ash stained from previous experiments and her clouded goggles sat squarely on top of her head. 

Leaning over to Ryo, Rowen whispered, "She sounds like Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus. I find the resemblance uncanny." 

"Is there something you would like to share with the class, Mr. Rowen?" The woman asked, interrupting her class.

Turning a bright shade of red, the blue haired boy simply shook his head. "No Miss Kero." 

"Good. Now, everyone get started!" She sang as the students began to talk and work. 

Ryo placed his goggles over his eyes. "Nice save…" He told his friend in a sarcastic tone. 

Rowen turned up the collar to his lab coat. "Hey I can't help it if I'm just slick like that." He shot back. 

Looking over the directions, Ryo sweatdropped. "Um…I'm already lost." He sighed. 

Grabbing the instructions from his friend, Rowen looked them over quickly. Then he smiled at Ryo. "It's simple. All we have to do is mix the two acids over the burner for three minutes at 45 degrees. Then add in just three drops of the correct bases in others for the balloon to fill with the gas needed to inflate it." The genius blurted out. 

"Oh yea…Real easy." Ryo's sarcastic tone stated once again. 

Rowen rolled his eyes. "Just let me handle it. You read the instructions." The adolescent told his friend. 

As they moved into the experiment, Ryo sighed. Looking out the window that was next to the lab table, his thoughts began to wonder. 'That monk with the staff in my dream. What does it mean?' Resting his head onto his arms, the youth began to remember his dream.

*********************

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A man stood before him in an ancient shrine. The walls were lined with old samurai armor that was left over from the feudal days of ancient Japan. Tall cold stone pillars supported the roof over his head as he stood there, in front of the mysterious man. The figure stood within the shadows of the temple. His facial features hidden under the rim of a large hat that he wore. Within his hand, he held a staff. It was gold on the top with, what appeared to be, blackened wood on the bottom. 

As Ryo stood there, a giant fire spun up from the large stone alter behind the man. 'This is your element, Wildfire.' The figure stated, his voice echoing. 

'Wildfire?' Ryo asked as he took a few steps forward. 'I don't understand.'

'You will…' With those as his last words, the figure vanished.

***********************

"Ryo? Ryo?" Rowen's voice echoed through Ryo's mind. "Wake up!" It said softly but at the same time harshly. 

The black haired teen slowly began to become aware of his surroundings once again. A splash of cold water suddenly came across his face. Shaking his head, Ryo shot his head up from the lab table. Looking over next to him, he saw Rowen standing there, holding a small beaker that was still a bit full of water. "Dude, what the hell? Why did you do that?" Ryo asked angrily. 

Placing the beaker onto the lab table, Rowen turned back towards the experiment. "Because you fell asleep." The youth stated simply. 

"Ya know, you could of just smacked the back of my head, ya know." Ryo stated as he stood from the stool. 

Looking away from the experiment again, Rowen told his friend harshly, "And get a detention? No way!" 

"Rowen, I think you should watch what you're doing." Ryo suggested as his friend grabbed a beaker full of the wrong chemical. 

"Why? I know exactly what I'm doing." The blue haired youth explained, sounding extremely confident. 

As Rowen poured one drop of the bluish chemical into the beaker over the flames, a loud bubbling began from inside. Looking into the bubbling concoction, the teenagers watched it begun to rumble. Suddenly, it exploded, covering Rowen and Ryo in a thick layer of ash. 

"What happened? What did you two boys do?" Miss Kero screamed as she and the rest of the class ran over to the two teens. 

Hacking from the smoke, Ryo and Rowen removed their goggles. "I told you Rowen. You should have been watching what you were doing." Ryo stated, removing his gloves. 

"Well, if you hadn't fallen asleep, than nothing like this would have happened." Rowen shot back. 

"I don't care whose fault it is!" Miss Kero shouted, causing the two teens to stop fighting. "Both of you…to the principal's office. For sleeping and for causing an explosion in class." 

***********************

The two minors sat outside the principal's office, still in their lab coats. They looked like they had just come back from a rough battle. Both of the youth's hair had been messed up even more than usual. Their faces where covered in ash and so were their lab coats, the bottoms of the jeans, and their shoes. They had their, now tinted gray, goggles hanging around their necks as they sat there. 

"I can't believe she sent us to the principal's office." Ryo sighed running his hand through his hair, causing some of the ash to fall from his hair and onto his shoulder. 

Looking over at his friend, Rowen grinned through his blackened face. "Hey, I've done that more than once. The principal knows my name by heart." The teen joked.

As they continued to sit there, the door to the principal's main office opened with creepy squeak. A plump women with white hair and large round glasses walked out and over to the two teens. She was carrying a clipboard and kept murmuring under her breath about something. Finally, she removed her eyes from the notes and looked at the two adolescences. "Sanada, Ryo?" She asked. 

Standing from his seat, Ryo bowed. "That's me." He told the woman softly. 

"The principal will see you now." She explained, pointing to the door. 

Gulping, the black haired teen headed towards the door. Looking behind him, he saw Rowen stand and smile. "Don't worry Ryo. You'll be just fine." He shouted as his friend walked into the office. 

***********************

The principal's office had to be one of the nicest rooms in the entire school. The walls were lined with oak paneling and there was a fireplace against the back wall behind the desk. There were large windows that stretched up to the ceiling. In the center of the room, a wooden desk that matched the walls was placed. 

Behind the desk, a large burly man sat in the large chair. He had the beginnings of a dark beard that matched his hair perfectly. His black business suit was neat and pressed and his matching tie was perfectly straight. Looking up from his paperwork, the man smiled. "Ah, Mr. Sanada. Come in. Come in." He stated happily. 

Walking away from the door, Ryo sat in the chair that was provided for him. As the principal finished writing a few things, he sat there silently. Finally, the man spoke. "Ryo, why did you fall asleep in class?"

"I didn't mean to. It was a complete accident." Ryo stated quickly. 

Looking up from his work, the principal looked at the teen with a great compassion. "Is the class too hard for you? Or maybe it is too easy? Whatever it is, you can tell me." The man stated, a calming grin spreading across his harsh features. 

Looking away, Ryo sighed. "I've had trouble sleeping for the past few days. I keep have nightmares." 

"About what?" 

Ryo stared at his principal. 'Oh yea. Like I'm gonna tell him that this freaky ancient guy keeps appearing before me and calls me Wildfire. That's a laugh.' He thought, smiling. 

"What about Ryo?" The principal repeated, a bit more firmly this time. 

Quickly, the teen thought of a lie. "I keep watching these horror flicks late at night. That is what probably is triggering them." He said casually. 

**********************

Rowen, Kento, Sai, and Sage sat outside the Principal's office. The others were on their way home for the day and had seen Rowen sitting outside the office, looking pretty concerned. 

"So, how long has he been in there?" Kento asked, yawning loudly. 

Looking over from the door, the still ash covered teen sighed. "Almost a half an hour. I wonder what's happening?"

"He couldn't have gotten in that much trouble for sleeping in class." Sai told simply. 

Suddenly, the door creaked opened. Jumping to their feet, expecting to see the Head Master walk out, the four youths sighed when they saw Ryo emerge from the office. 

"Dude, there you are. What took so long?" Kento asked, hitting Ryo hard on his back. 

Catching his footing, the black haired teenager smiled. " I was just given a lecture on why I shouldn't stay up so late and how important it is to stay awake during class." Ryo stated, crossing his arms. 

"Yea, I always get the same speech from him when I fall asleep in class." Kento stated understandingly. 

"What are you boys still doing here? It's late you know." The principal told the five teens suddenly, causing them to jump. 

Turning, the adolescents came face to face with the Head Master. "Sir, we had no idea. We're really sorry. We were waiting for our friends so that we could walk home together." Sai explained, trying to sound completely innocent. 

"Mr. Mouri, I understand you and your friends wanted to walk home together, but it is now getting late. I suggest you leave now so that your families don't scold you for being late for dinner." The principal told the teens firmly. 

Bowing, the five boys said in unison. "Yes sir." As the youths straightened up again, the principal smiled. "Now, off with ya. Get on home now. After all, it is Friday." 

As the teens bowed again and turned to walk away, the man's strong hand came down upon Rowen's shoulder. "All except for you, Rowen. There is still the little incident with the 17th Science Lab explosion you have caused this year alone." 

Sweatdropping, Rowen turned and headed into the principal's office muttering. "Yes sir." 

***************************

When Sage arrived home, he was greeted by the smell of something good coming from the kitchen. After removing his shoes, coat, and backpack, the teen followed the scent down the hallway. Upon reaching the doorway that lead to the kitchen, Sage sighed. "Man mom. That smells good."

A short brown haired woman turned from the stove and smiled. "Why thank you Sage dear. Your sister helped me cook it." She stated. 

Looking past his mother, another young girl stood next to her. She was a bit shorter than Sage with the same brown hair as he and his mother. Her blue eyes met her brother's and then turned back to the stove. "That's right. I helped too." The young girl of nine stated, a proud grin on her face. 

Rolling his eyes, Sage returned the grin. Then, looking back at his mother, the teen asked. "May I go to the dojo until dinner is ready?" 

Looking up from the stove, Mrs. Date smiled sweetly. "Okay honey. I'll have Setine go down to get you when dinner is ready."

Setine frowned at her brother. "Why do you always have to go and do that dumb little meditation thingy after school? It's so stupid." The girl told to her mother and older sibling. 

"Setine! You say you're sorry to your brother." Mrs. Date scolded. 

Sage placed a hand onto his mother's shoulder. "It's okay mom. She'll understand when she gets older." Then, kissing his mother on the cheek, he murmured, "I'll be back in time for dinner. Don't worry, I'm starving." 

******************

Upon arriving down at the dojo, Sage removed his shoes and placed on his dojo sandals. Then, closing the door quietly behind him, he walked down the hallway towards the meditation room. The shrine was quiet as usual at this time of night. The sounds of the city seemed to disappear as soon as Sage entered the temple. 

Walking past his grandfather's room, Sage stopped and slid the door opened. "Grandfather, I'm going to meditate. Please tell me when my sister shows up?" He asked the old man. 

Grandfather Date sat at a small table, sipping at some tea. Looking up at his grandson, he smiled. "For course. Go on." The man said with a grin. 

Bowing, Sage slid the door shut and continued down to the room that he had been in earlier that day. Opening the door to the room, Sage removed his sandals and placed them by the door. Then walking over to the small altar at the far end of the room, Sage removed three sticks of incense from a small pot on the stone table. Then, after placing them into the burners that were in a circle on the floor, Sage stepped into the middle of the ring and sat cross-legged on the floor. Closing his eyes, the brown haired teen breathed in the sweet smelling herbs and sighed. 

*****************

__

Sage instantly fell into a deep trance. Then a vision came to him. He was standing in the middle of a battlefield in feudal Japan. Standing across from him, at least a half a mile away, stood a monstrous army. But the soldiers weren't human. They were some form of demon creatures who seemed eager to shed blood. As the creatures stood there, five figures appeared in front of the army. They appeared to be human: four men and a woman, all wearing fearsome samurai armor that was shades of black and other dark colors.

'Where am I? Who are these people? Why do they want to fight me?' Sage thought as he watched the scene before him. 

Suddenly, the clanging of metal came from behind the teen. Turning around, Sage saw the outline of a man. He had a staff clenched tightly in his hand, which was the sorce of the sound that Sage had heard. He appeared to be a monk, for he wore a monk's hat. 'Halo…you are growing stronger…' He whispered. 

Sage stared at the man in question. 'What is Halo? What do you mean?' The teen asked. 

'You will find out soon enough…' And with that, the man vanished. 

Reaching out towards the vanished figure, Sage called, 'Wait!' Suddenly, there was a loud crack of thunder over head. Looking up towards the sky, he saw a lighting bolt fly across the darkened heavens. Then, the rush of energy came flying down, striking Sage squarely in the chest. 

****************

Sage's eyes flew opened and he flung forward onto the ground. He was sweating and felt the color drain from his face. He felt his hands shaking under him as he kept his head against the floor. "What was that?" He panted out, closing his eyes quickly and gulping. 

As the youth knelt there, there was a tinge of a green glow in the darkness. "Huh? What was glowing green?" He asked. Pain pulsated through the teen's head as he knelt there. 

All of a sudden, Sage heard the door slide open. "Sage, are you alright? I heard you shout." His grandfather's voice asked as he walked quickly over to him. The teen felt his grandfather's hand rest on his back, trying to calm his breathing. "Calm down, Sage." He said. 

"Grandfather? What happened? What's wrong with Sage?" Setine's voice echoed through the room. 

Sitting up slowly, Sage turned to see his little sister standing in the doorway, fear written across her face. "I'm alright. I just feel dizzy." He told his little sister, a small weak grin on his face. 

"Are you sure you are okay?" Grandfather Date asked again.

Looking down at the floor, Sage thought to himself about the vision. 'That army. The demons and the figures in covered in shadow. What does it mean?' He thought. Looking up at the concerned expressions of his loved ones, the teen smiled. "I'm sure."

Setine placed her hands onto her hips and sighed. "Well, mom has dinner ready. So come on." She smiled, motioning towards the door. 

Climbing to his feet, Sage nodded as he walked over to get the water to extinguish the sweet burning herbs. As he picked up the small pitcher in his trembling hands, Grandfather Date took the container from him. "Go Sage. You're mother is waiting. I'll take care of it." 

"But I can do it." Sage said, wiping some of the sweat from his brow. 

"No. Now go." The older man stated firmly. 

Bowing in thanks, Sage walked over to his little sister. "You ready?" He asked as he walked into the brighter lights of the hallway. 

"Yea. But I think you should have mom take your temperature when you get home. You look all white." Setine said, acting and sounding like her age. 

Smiling down at his sibling, Sage took her hand. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry 'bout me." 

**********************

When Sage and Setine reentered the main house, Sage's complexion hadn't changed at all. He was still pale and seemed to be still a little weak all over. As he removed his varsity jacket, Sage heard his little sister run down the hallway towards the kitchen. Then, not even a minute later, Mrs. Date appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Sage, would you please come into the kitchen for a minute?" She called. 

'Setine…you just had to blab…' He thought grimly as he lugged his body down the hallway. 

Upon entering the kitchen, Sage was greeted by his whole family staring at him. His father stood from the table, placing his newspaper onto the placemate. He was a tall man with built shoulders and the beginnings of a beard on his face. His short brown hair was a bit messed and his blue eyes stared at his son, full of concern. "Setine told us that you aren't feeling well. Are you alright?" The man inquired, his deep voice sounding very powerful. 

Looking away from his parents, Sage dropped his gaze to the floor. "I just feel a bit dizzy from my meditation. That's all. I must of breathed in too much incense." He said, but he knew they could tell that he was lying. 

"Sage, you have been meditating ever since you could reach the incense. Don't lie to us." His father said, anger rising in his voice. 

Running his hand through his brown locks, Sage's hair fell out of the position he had it in all day long. It was now off to the side, revealing both his blue eyes. That's when Mrs. Date questioned, "Sage? Did you lighten your hair?" 

"No. Why do you ask?" The youth asked, his world now spinning from his headache. 

"Because your roots look a bit blond." She stated. 

"Cassandra, talk to the boy about his hair later." Mr. Date told his wife. Looking at his son, the man studied him for a moment. "You seem pale."

Grasping his head, Sage saw the room black out for a minute. Then, shaking the darkness away, the teen pleaded quietly, "May I go and lye down?"

Smiling at her son, Mrs. Date said sweetly, "Of course you can honey."

Turning, Sage walked back into the hallway. Turning back to his family, he bowed. "I'm sorry that I will not be having dinner with you." He apologized. 

He strolled down the hallway slowly, for it seemed like it was a passage on ship in a storm. 'Man, why am I feeling like this? I've never felt like this after a meditation.' He thought. 

Suddenly, he heard his father's voice. "Something wrong with him, Cassandra. He hasn't been himself for a while."

"Oh Sean, you're overreacting. He's a teenager. He's suppost to act a little weird. It's part of the job description." His mother shot back in his defense. 

Sage smiled as he reached the stairs. "Thanks mom. You always stick up for…me." Sage whispered. Suddenly, he became overwhelmed by dizziness and collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head. Since it was a wooden entranceway, Sage's body made a sickening thud when it hit. 

That's when he heard footsteps walk out of the kitchen. "Sage!" Mrs. Date shouted as she and Mr. Date ran over to their son. 

Turning Sage onto his back, Mr. Date lightly tapped his teenager's cheek. "Sage. Sage, wake up. Come on Sage. Open your eyes." He coaxed. 

"Dad? Mom?" The youth whispered, opening his eyes a bit. "I feel dizzy." He murmured quietly. 

Smiling softly at him, Sage's dad reached down and picked him up into his arms. "You are going straight to bed. No ifs, ands, or buts about it." The man said as he headed up towards Sage's room. 

"Don't worry. I won't say…a…word…" Sage whispered, falling back into the darkness.

**************************

Rowen tiredly walked through the front door of his home. The house was completely silent, for his father was still at work and wouldn't be home until late that night. The teen still had a bit of ash on his face from the Chemistry accident he had been in with Ryo earlier that day. "Man I'm beat." He said to no one. Slipping his shoes off, Rowen lugged his heavy backpack up the stairs towards his bedroom. 

Upon reaching his room, he opened door to reveal something completely unexpected. All of his books and papers had been straightened up and placed into new book and paper organizers on either side of his desk. All of his dirty clothes were gone from the floor and the top of his desk was visible again. "Okay? What happened here? Did the cleaner fairy visit my room while I was at school or something?" He asked. 

"If that is what you want to call me, that's okay. But if you want to call me mom, that works too." A woman's voice stated. Walking into his room, Rowen looked over at his closet. His eyes widened as he saw a woman standing there, smiling at him. She had on a black skirt with a dark blue three-quarter shirt. Her dirty blond hair hung down to her mid back and she had a press pass hanging around her neck. Rowen just stood there in shock. He did didn't know what to say. "I'm waiting for my hug, Rowen." The woman joked, opening her arms. 

"Mom! We weren't expecting you for another three days. When did you get here?" Rowen asked as he ran into his mother's open arms.

Smiling down at her son, the woman stated, "I finished my reports early. So, I got the first plane from Egypt to Tokyo. I thought I would surprise you and your father." 

"Well, you did." The blue haired youth said with a smile on his face. 

As the mother and son separated, Mrs. Hashiba clapped her hands together. "I have an idea. Let's go to the new observatory that just opened. It's only a block away, what do you say?" 

Rowen nodded. "Okay. It sounds like it might be interesting. Besides, we're starting that in Science class next week."

As the woman walked over towards the door, she looked back and brushed some of the left over ash from Rowen's shoulder. "Um, Rowen honey. How did you get ash all over you?"

"Chemistry accident." He sighed. "My third one this week." 

Covering her mouth, Mrs. Hashiba laughed. "Oh Rowen. That's what I miss about you. I can never concentrate when I'm writing without loud explosions around. When I was still living here when you were about six, I would always be writing and hear explosions coming from the kitchen. I would always run in and see you standing there in your dad's lab coat and your toy Chemistry set smoking strange colored smoke. And you would always be covered in ash." 

"I know where this is leading." The teen stated. Walking into his closet, Rowen rummaged around and returned with a towel thrown over his shoulder. "I'm going in the shower…don't even say it…I'm going." 

**************************

After Rowen's shower, the teenager's mother took her son out for a large dinner. When the mother and son duo reached the Tokyo observatory, Mrs. Hashiba bought two tickets for them to go into the new holographic star presentation. As they entered the theater, they sat in the middle of the audience because they been told that those had been the best seats you could grab. The entire theater was filled as the lights turned off. 

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Tokyo Observatory's grand opening of its new show, 'A Holographic Look into Space.' We hope that you enjoy this beautiful look into the depths of our universe." An announcer's voice stated. 

As a small picture of Earth appeared on the ceiling, the seats slowly tilted backwards so that the audience could view the show. "The Earth. Our home. It seems so massive to us and yet…it is nothing compared to the other parts of our universe." A deep man's voice stated. 

While the show progressed, Rowen relaxed completely in the comfortable chair. He felt content in his darkened surroundings. As he stared up into the star patterns overhead, he thought to himself, 'The stars…the Strata…' 

*************************

__

Rowen was surrounded by thousands of stars. The tiny lights were spread out in front of him, all placed as if carelessly by a child. 'This is amazing.' Rowen thought as he floated there, his eyes still gazing out at the beautiful landscape of stars. 

'Strata…you are wise beyond your years…' A voice stated from behind him. Turning around, the blue haired saw the Earth in front of him. The massive orb that was home to the entire human and animal population of the entire universe was right beneath the teen. The countries of the world were just like the maps and charts had told him. He saw the massive blue ocean, in all its beauty and grace. Looking over towards China, Rowen stated to himself. 'Hey, you can see the Great Wall from here.' 

That's when he saw that he wasn't alone. There was the silhouette of a man floating there. He was dressed in ancient robs and his face was shielded by his hat. 'You have proved yourself worthy of being the Life warrior.' The man whispered. 

'Life Warrior? What does that mean?' Rowen asked, as tried to approach the man. 

But he was being held back by something. A force that he was unable to break was holding him at bay. 'You will know soon enough.' The figure stated and suddenly vanished. 

'Hey, wait a sec!' Rowen called. That was when he felt himself beginning to move out of his orbit. Looking down, he was being pulled back down to Earth at a massive speed. Rowen felt the burning of reentry against his flesh as he fell…fell…fell…

************************

Rowen shot awake, his forehead burning. He thought he was about to die. "Rowen? Rowen? Rise and shine." His mother's sang softly in his ear. Rubbing his eyes slowly, Rowen came face to face with his mother's smiling face. She was staring at him lovingly her blue eyes glistening in the darkness. 

Suddenly, he heard a familiar deep voice. "Is he awake?" Looking over next to him, Rowen saw his father sitting next to a window of a car. "Nice to see you decided to join us." The man said with a smile.

"Are…are we moving?" The youth questioned, feeling the floor moving under him as he sat. 

Rolling her eyes, Mrs. Hashiba played with her son's hair. "You fell asleep. Luckily for me, your father was there on business to help carry you. You really must have been exhausted. So we took a cab home." 

Holding his head in his hands, Rowen thought back to his dream. 'Who is that guy? Why did he call me the life warrior?' He pondered. 

"Hey, are you alright?" His dad asked, causing the teen to jump a bit. 

"Yea. I'm just have a headache. That's all." He told his parents. "I just need some sleep."

Suddenly, the car came to a halt. "Here ya are. 1030 Mishero Avenue. That will 15 bucks." The cab driver stated. 

Getting out of the car, Mr. Hashiba handed the cab driver the money and then helped his son and ex-wife from the car. As the car sped away, the three people walked up the stone steps and opened the door. Then after removing their shoes, Rowen bowed to his parents. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow morning." He said tiredly. 

"Good night." His father stated, walking into the kitchen. 

Kissing her son on the forehead, Mrs. Hashiba smiled. "I'll bring you something for your headache, okay?" 

Returning the grin, Rowen nodded. "Thanks mom." With that, the youth vanished up the stairs to his room and sleep. 

*************************

"Mom! I'm home!" Kento shouted as he entered his humble home. Kento lived in an extremely large house in one of the richer parts of the city. Because his parents owned a popular Chinese restaurant, the Fuan family could afford to live very well. It was a beautiful brick building with a few trees out front on the sidewalk. There was a small backyard that was cluttered with a climber and a trampoline. The house was three floors, but the third one was the attic. 

Kento lived with his mother, father, and four younger siblings. Their age raged from four to twelve. Although the oldest of the children loved them all, they could get very annoying at sometimes. 

After removing his shoes, Kento ran into the family room His mother and three of his younger siblings were sitting and watching television. Looking up from the screen, Mrs. Rei Fuan smiled as her eldest son strolled into the room. She was a short woman, a bit shorter than her son was. She had short brown hair that rest just above her shoulder. "Hello Kento. How was school?" She sang happily, rising to her feet. 

"Same old. Same old. I can't complain." He stated as he kissed his mother on the cheek. 

Suddenly, the teen felt two sets of arms wrap around each of his legs. Looking down, he saw two smiling faces staring up at him. On his left leg, there was a small girl with similar looks to his own. She had brilliant violet eyes and a bit darker ash toned hair. Then on his right leg, there was a younger boy wrapped tightly to him. He had dark brown hair with green eyes and was younger than the girl. 

"Hi Kento!" They both said in unison. 

Smiling, Kento bent down and lifted the little girl into his arms. "Hey Kristen. Hello Dominic. Did you two have a nice day?" He inquired. Kento may have been tough when it came to other things, but he was a big softy when it was his family he was dealing with. 

"We're fine." Kristen stated, her grin growing even wider than before. "Do you want to watch Sailor Moon with us?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes. 

"Sailor Moon? No way!" A voice said from the floor. Looking downward, Kento saw his ten-year-old sibling, lying on her stomach in front of the television. Her long ash hair fell to just about her mid-back and her green eyes were shooting dangerous looks at the young girl. She was still in her school uniform, for she had gotten home an hour before Kento and probably didn't feel like changing. "We're watching Ranma½. It is suppost to be good today."

Dominic let go of his brother's leg and stormed up to his older sister. "I'm not watching any mushy girly stuff. Not again, Cassie! We're gonna watch Dragonball Z. It is the beginning of the Cell games today. I want to know what happens." He declared. 

Kristen jumped down and ran over to join the minor scuffle. "Sailor Moon!" 

"Ranma½!" Cassie shouted, jumping to her feet. 

"Dragonball Z!" Dominic called loudly. 

"Enough!" Kento shouted, causing all three of them to go silent. "Cassie, it is you're turn to help make dinner tonight, so Ranma½ is out of the question. Dominic, you go outside and practice your basketball. After all you have a game tomorrow. And Kristen, you can watch Sailor Moon." The eldest declared. 

Flinging her hair, Cassie stormed out of the room. "Just because you're the oldest doesn't make you the boss of me." She stated as she walked by. 

"Until I go to college, I'm in charge." The teen sang back, causing the girl to sulk even more. 

As Dominic ran out of the room, Kristen jumped up and down happily. "Thank you, Kento!"

Smiling, the built teen turned and started upstairs. "Anytime, Kris." 

"Aren't you going to watch it with me?" She asked, running to the bottom of the stairs, a sad puppy expression gracing her features. 

Turning to face his sibling on the landing, Kento sadly shook his head. "Sorry. I have too much homework to do."

*******************

Walking down the hallway, Kento passed the many rooms belonging to his family. His parents room as at the end of the hallway, since it was the master bedroom. At the far right at the end of the corridor, loud music blasted from inside the bedroom. Running down the passageway, the teen stopped at the opened door. 

The oldest of his siblings, the twelve year old Scott, was blasting his favorite band so that the entire upstairs shook. The youth stood on top of his bed with his baseball bat in hand, pretending to play the guitar solo. "SCOTT!" Kento shouted, causing the pre-teen to fall onto the floor. 

"Kento! Don't scare me like that! You have no right to do that!" The youth complained, trying to regain his composure after his 'graceful' fall onto his carpeted floor.

"Just turn down the volume, dude." Kento requested and with that turned and headed for his room. 

Kento was just across the hallway from his brother Scott. On his door, he had signs that read things like 'Business hours: Whenever I'm in to until I decide to leave.' And 'Caution: Chemical Waste Dump Ahead.' Although, these signs were completely untrue. The teen's room was surprising clean. There was a large bed that was pushed all the way in a side little opening that had the sky light over head. There was a desk that was cluttered with magazines and other books. There was white carpeting on the floor and the walls were decorated with posters of sports teams that Kento loved. On the ceiling, there hung a large ceiling fan that spun quickly, trying to cool down the teen's room. That was pretty much it. That was Kento's room. 

Walking over to his bed, Kento fell face first onto the soft sheets. "Ah, this feels great. I just need to stretch out a bit before dinner and I…will start my homework after." He told himself aloud, covering his mouth to quiet a yawn. Before he knew it, the youth had fallen asleep. 

***********************

__

A starry night sky hung over head when Kento opened his eyes. He was standing in the middle of a vast desert, a gentle breeze blowing through his hair and hitting his face. The teen stood atop a large sand hill that gave him a look out over the land. There wasn't any civilization for miles in any direction. Piles upon piles of sand where mounted about the landscape. Because it was night, it wasn't boiling hot like it would have been during the day. 

Looking around closely at his surroundings, Kento sighed. 'I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.' He said aloud. 

'Hard Rock…warrior that represents Justice. You are the strongest of the five.' A voice whispered through the winds that blew. 

Staring out into the emptiness of the wasteland, Kento cupped his hands together and shouted, 'Who's there? Who are you? Show yourself!' He shouted, he voice disappearing into the desert night. 

Turning around, the adolescent jumped in shock. A man draped in ancient Japanese monk robes stood sternly. His long silver hair swayed gently in the breeze and his eyes were shielded by a large hat that he wore. 'Hard Rock, the time of awaking is almost upon you. Do not resist it, embrace it.' The old monk told the youth softly. 

'The time of awaking? What is that suppost to mean? Who are you?' Kento demanded, taking a small step forward. 

'All of your questions will be answered when you are ready.' He said not even above a whisper. 

Suddenly, there was a strong gust of wind that blew up some of the sand. Shielding his eyes, Kento took a trip backwards, falling flat on his back. As the wind died down, he looked up, expecting to see the old man still standing there. But, the monk had vanished. 

'Okay…now I'm freaked out.' He told to no one as he clamoring to his feet. All of a sudden, the ground beneath him opened up into a black pit. The hole began to suck in the surrounding air and Kento as well. He tried to grab onto something, but all he could grab was loose sand. As he was falling into the darkness, a soft, yet familiar voice was calling from above him. 

*************************

"Kento? Kento? It's time for dinner sweet heart. Come on, time to get up." Mrs. Rei Fuan's voice stated softly into his ear. 

Opening his eyes, Kento saw that he was back in his room and was still laying on his stomach on his bed. Turning over, he came eye to eye with his mother. "Mom? What time is it?" He questioned as he sat up into a cross-legged position. 

Looking down at her wristwatch, the woman laughed. "It's now 6:00. You've been asleep for three hours. It's time to get up." She joked. 

But Kento's mind wasn't on getting up or going downstairs to eat dinner. The youth's thoughts were still on his dream. He just couldn't get it out of his head. Resting his head against the wall of room, he swallowed hard. "I'm not hungry. Do you mind if I skip dinner?" He finally asked his mom. 

"Oh my god! My brother Kento. MY older sibling who has never missed a single dinner in his lifetime, isn't hungry." Scott's voice said from the hallway. "Mom, I think this is the first sign of the Apocalypse." The pre-teen child added on with a sly grin. 

Turning from her eldest son, the mother figure scolded the boy. "Don't joke like that Scott. You get downstairs and wash up." She ordered, causing the boy to fly out of the doorframe and down the stair well. 

"Are you not feeling well?" The woman asked, her attention returning to Kento. 

Averting his gaze, he nodded. "Yea, I'm not feeling well. I just really want to sleep." The dazed teen said flatly. 

Smiling, Kento's mother reached down to the end of the bed and pulled up the teen's blankets to his bed. "Go back to sleep. If you need me, I'll be downstairs." She whispered as she placed the sheets over Kento's crossed legs. 

"Night Mom." He yawned, sliding back into bed. 

Walking over to the door, the mother smiled back at her teen. "Good night honey." She murmured as she turned off the lights and shut the door. The only light that shown in the room was the glow of the full moon that hung high above the city that shown through the skylight. 

********************

The smell of the pool was what greeted Sai. The chlorine smell of the health spa's pool was as strong as ever as the youth entered the room where the swimming area was. 

Every Friday, after school, Sai would go to a large health club downtown that his mother had a membership to. The only reason he went was to practice his high diving and swim some laps. Sai was very athletic when it came to sports that involved water. 

The pool was seemed so beautiful in the late afternoon. It was on the roof of the spa and had windows running all the way around it. Since the sun could actually shine inside, it felt like is was a real outdoor pool. There was a small hot tub at the far end near the high dive and starting blocks. Small potted plants lined the windows as a sorce of some privacy.

Usually on Fridays, the swim area would be semi-busy. But that night, it was almost completely empty. The only other people there was a group of girls who were on the swim team from Sai's old school and a few people just swimming laps. 

Sighing to himself, Sai placed his duffel bag onto one of the plastic lawn chairs that lined the pool and withdrew his towel. Then, as he removed his shirt, he felt a finger run up and down his spine quickly. Pulling the shirt off quickly, he turned to see a girl standing there. She was a bit older than Sai, but had the same appearance about her. She had long brown hair that hung down her back in a long braid. Her blue eyes matched the water perfectly, as clear as anything. She was dressed in a pair of very short red shorts and her bathing suit, which was a mix of black and different shades of green. 

Smiling at him, the girl stated in the same charming Australian accent. "So, how's my baby brother?"

"Lily, don't call me your 'baby' brother. I'm fourteen, that's three years younger than you." Sai told his sister in a loving sort of tone. 

Turning back to his bag, Sai felt his sister place her arms around his shoulders. "I call you that because that's what you are. My baby brother Sai." She sang into the adolescent's ear. 

That's when he felt himself rise off the floor. He knew were this was going. Ripping his warm-up pants off, so that he was in his swim trunks, Sai was thrown into the pool. The cool water welcomed him as he collided with the soothing liquid. 

Swimming to the surface, the youth broke the surface dramatically. He brown spiky hair was no longer spiky, but now flat against his head. "Damn you Sai. You are getting too quick for me." Lily wined as Sai ran a hand threw his hair. 

Laughing, Sai flashed a victory sign. "I'm just good like that." He stated. 

"Whatever. I need to get back to my post. See ya later." She groaned as she walked back towards the lifeguard chair. Lily was the head lifeguard at the spa. She had the job since the summer that they had moved to Japan. Now, she was training Sai to take over the position after she left for college. 

Smiling, Sai dove under the water. The pool seemed to greet him with open arms. As he flips and turns along the bottom, the youth felt as if he had just been welcomed home into his natural environment. 

Breaking the surface after what seemed like an eternity, Sai found himself now in the deepest part of the pool. Looking up, he saw the three girls from his old swim team standing there, smiling at him. "Hey Sai. Long time no see." She said happily. 

Bowing his head a bit as he treaded water, Sai grinned. "Hello Sandy, Mili, Summer. How are you?" 

"We've been fine. The team just isn't the same without you, ya know." Mili said to him as he hopped out of the pool. 

Raising an eyebrow, Sai shook his hair out. "Really? How so?" He questioned. 

"When you were still with us, we rocked. But now, we just suck." Summer told him as he walked past them over to the high dive. 

Laughing, Sai began to ascend to the top. "You are overreacting. You guys are doing just fine without me." Stopping mid way on the ladder, Sai stepped onto the mid-high dive. Walking out onto the stiff board, the teen turned so that his back faced the pool. Then, placing his arms out in front of him, Sai bent his knees and flipped off the platform. He spun his body into a spiral and then quickly straightened himself out. He went into the water perfectly, without a hint of a splash. 

Coming up to the surface, he gasped for air. The three girls were sitting on the edge of the pool, smiling. "You are the only teenage guy in the entire city would can do such a complex move like that without killing yourself. That's what we meant." Sandy said, flicking her blond hair over her left shoulder. 

Swimming over to the ladder, Sai climbed out. Once again shaking the water from his hair, he walked back over to the ladder. This time, he didn't stop halfway up. Instead, he went straight to the top. 

The top platform was the highest place inside the entire spa. But Sai wasn't afraid of it. He had dove from the highest platform when he was seven, which was a record in the pool's history. Walking to the edge, Sai placed his toes over the end of the stone platform. Then, placing his hands over his head, he just fell forward. Sai felt the air rush past him as he fell faster and faster. That's when he realized it. 'Damn, I'm going too fast for this jump. I need to land it some other…' But before he could move an inch, the teen collided with the water…hard.

**********************

__

Sai stood in the shallow waters on a sunny beach. The breeze was calming as the palm trees over head created a nice bit of shade for him. The waves lapped up against the shore and were crashing up against the wave cut cliffs in the distance. Looking around, Sai saw no one. 'It is such a nice day. The waves are perfect for surfing. So why isn't anyone out and swimming or surfing?' He asked aloud. 

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps crunching in the sand. Then, the footsteps were replaced by the sound of something ringing. It was the sound of metal hitting metal. Turning around, Sai saw an old gentleman walking towards him, an ancient staff clenched tightly in his hand. His white and blue robes hung loosely on him and there was a spice bag made of the same type of material as his clothing hanging around his neck. His eyes were hidden under the rim of his hat and his long white hair hung down his back, blowing a bit in the light breeze. 

'Sai of the Torrent…you are the defender of Trust.' He whispered just loud enough from the youth to hear him. 

Turning to face the mysterious old man completely, Sai raised an eyebrow in question. 'The Torrent? What does that have to do with me?' He asked as politely as possible. 

Smiling, the man began to walk away. 'The answer…is in your heart and in the hearts of the other four.' As he concluded his all words, the man vanished without a trace. 

Rubbing his eyes, Sai stared wide-eyed at what he had just saw. 'He just vanished. Right into thin air.' All of a sudden, the beach vanished from in front of Sai and he was only in the water. Then, the level of the water rapidly changed. Before Sai could shout for help, he was too far under the water to open his mouth. He just kept sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean's depths. 

*******************

Sai's eyes shot opened. He had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. That's when he realized that he was no longer in the pool. He was stretched out on one of the lawn chairs with his towel drawn over him. He tried to move his head, but it pulsed with pain. Groaning, the teen asked, "What happened?"

"Sai! Oh good, you're awake. Thank god." Lily's voice suddenly said sounding very gladdened. Looking up, the girl appeared over him a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "I was so worried about you." She told him. 

"What happened?" He repeated. Glancing from side to side, his memories began to come back to him. "I remember diving off the high dive and I was going too fast and then…I woke up."

Sitting her little brother up a bit, the girl began her explanation. "After you hit the water, I saw that you didn't come back up. That's when I saw you lying at the bottom of the pool. I dove in and got you out, but you weren't breathing. I did CPR and you hacked up a large amount of water. You've been out for about a half an hour." 

Rubbing his head, Sai winced in pain. "Don't try to move to much. I sent Mili to get the doctor so that he can look you over. Does anything hurt?" Lily asked, acting all big sister like. 

"My head is throbbing." Sai said flatly. Closing his eyes, he thought back to his dream. 'The Torrent? What did he mean?' He thought.

Suddenly, he heard Mili's voice echo through the pool and through his head. "Lily, I found the doctor." She called, walking quickly over to where Sai and his sister were sitting.

. 

A man dressed in jeans and a black tee shirt with a stethoscope around his neck walked up to Sai. Bending down, Sai came eye to eye with the man. He had deep brown eyes and black hair was cut into a mushroom cut. "Hello Sai. I'm Dr. Speedwell. Now, do you hurt anywhere?" 

"My head is throbbing. But everything else in working order." He said, a slight smile on his face.

Smiling back at him, Dr. Speedwell sighed. "Sai, do you remember what happened?"

Sai started to shake his head, but pain coursed threw it once again. So, he simply stated, "No."

Turning to Lily, the young man, told her, "You're his sister?" She nodded. "Take him home so that he can rest in more comfortable surroundings." 

Nodding, Lily shook the Doctor's hand. "Thank you." As the man turned to leave, Lily helped Sai sit up straight. Then, placing his arm around her shoulder, she lifted him to his feet. "Let's get you home baby brother." She whispered, as she threw Sai's stuff over her shoulder. 

Looking over at his sister, Sai smiled. "Lily…Thanks." 

"You're welcome Sai." The brown haired girl said softly as they left the pool.

**************************************************************************************

_~ What do you think so far? This part of the story was the hardest and longest to write. (I just couldn't get any ideas about what to do. ^-^;) But now that it is out of the way, the rest of the story should be easier to post quicker…I hope. Well, Please R&R. ~_


	4. The Ancient Appears

Author's Notes: Hey Hey CGS CGS 1 31 2001-11-04T00:44:00Z 2001-11-04T01:17:00Z 11 3572 20365 CGS 169 40 25009 9.2720 Author's Notes: Hey Hey! Sorry I took so long with this chapter. I've been really busy with school, Marching Band, and our new Anime club at school. Anyways, the next part is here and I hope you enjoy it! 

**_Disclaimer_: **_I do not own the Ronin Warriors. But dear god do I wish…_

Chapter Three 

**_~ The Ancient Appears ~ _**

By: Lady Ava 

Ryo awoke with a start early that morning. He was sweaty and pale as he sat there in the darkness of his bedroom. Looking over at his digital clock, the numbers read '2:00 am'. 

"Aw man. I won't be able to get back to sleep now." He growled, swinging his legs out of bed. Standing, the teen walked over to the window and opened the blinds. The light of the full moon flowed into his bedroom, creating a strangely soothing feeling over him and the room. Looking down at the floor, Ryo saw a pair of brown cat eyes staring up at him. "Hey White Blaze. Did I wake up you?"

The tiger stood from his spot on the round carpet in the center of the floor. Stretching out his front paws and then his back, the cat walked over to his troubled master. He stopped at his side and rubbed his head up against the teen's leg. 

Smiling down at his loyal friend, Ryo scratched him behind the ears. The cat let out a low purr of thanks. "You're welcome." Ryo whispered. 

Sitting down on the window seat in his room, the teen stared out the window and into the woods. The trees were illuminated with the shine of the overhead moon. The lake in the back of his house was sparkling like glitter in the water. The calming waters washed up against the shore gracefully and a calming breeze blew over the entire scene. 

"Let's go for a walk." Ryo told his friend. 

*****************************

Upon walking outside, the breeze kissed Ryo's skin sweetly. Adjusting his jacket, the teen walked over towards the dock. The wood creaked under his feet as he and his tiger walked out onto the small wooden platform. As he reached the edge, Ryo stopped and stared off into the starry sky. "Strata…" He mumbled. Then, glancing down at the water, he murmured. "Torrent…" Then looking down onto the deck, Ryo picked up a small stone. Examining it, he stated softly, "Hard Rock…" Then, he threw it into the water. The light from the moon rippled as the stone hit the water. Examining the light, Ryo finally stated. "Halo…"

Sitting onto the edge of the deck, Ryo fell backwards and laid there in the cold night air. "Who are they?" He asked himself. 

White Blaze walked up next to his friend and sat on the edge of the dock as well. He looked back at his master, who was looking at him. The cat seemed to smile as it looked back out on the lake. Suddenly, the cat roared loudly, causing Ryo to fling forward into a sitting position. "White Blaze. What is it?" He asked quickly. 

Standing, the cat turned and ran off the dock. Jumping to his feet, Ryo gave chase after his pet. "White Blaze! Come back!" The teen shouted. He ran as fast as he could to catch up with his tiger. Following the cat to the edge of the woods, Ryo stopped and looked back at his house. Then, turning around, he rushed after his friend.

**************************

The forest was a completely different place to Ryo at night. The trees looked like creatures of the unholy master of hell. The bare branches acted like hands or claws that reached out as if trying to grab him.  Bright, glowing eyes of the night creatures of the mountains glared at Ryo as he ran by, as if giving him a warning to leave this place. The hoots and low growls of the creatures flowed through Ryo's head, making him run twice as fast. 

Finally, he saw his tiger. The cat had stopped in a clearing that was illuminated with moonlight. Running into the opening, Ryo ran up to his tiger, panting heavily. "White…Blaze…why did you…run off like that?" The teen breathed, his sides heaving in and out. 

The tiger remained still. His eyes were locked on the row of forest in front of him and the small dirt path intertwined with the trees. As Ryo watched the trees as well, he suddenly heard something clanging. It sounded like metal against metal only because the sound echoed so well. As the tiger and teen continued to watch the path, a man slowly came into sight. He was dressed in ancient monk ropes of white and dark blue with a spice bag around his neck. He wore wooden sandals on his feet and held a staff in his hand. 

As he came into the clearing, White Blaze walked forward towards the man. The two stopped right in front of each other. Reaching out, the man scratched the top of White Blaze's head. "You've grown up well, my friend." 

While the cat let out a soft purr, Ryo took a step forward. "Who are you? How do you White Blaze?"

"All of those questions will be answered within time, my young friend." The stranger stated, his voice echoing into the night. 

Looking down at the tiger, the person whispered. "It is almost time. The warriors are almost ready." Looking up at Ryo, the man smiled. "Your destiny awaits you…Ryo." 

"How do you know my name?" The teen asked, his breath still a bit heavy from his run. 

But before the man could answer, a loud roll of thunder crashed through the forest. Ryo looked up at the sky just in time to see the heaven's open. The heavy rain fell harshly against the boy's face as he looked up. Then, he stared back towards the man, but only White Blaze stood there, looking at his master. 

As Ryo continued to stare at his cat, another roll of thunder crashed and a huge bolt of yellow lighting streaked across the sky. "Let's go, White blaze!" The teen shouted, coming out of his staring contest with the feline. 

The tiger ran up next to his friend and let him climb onto his back. Then with one mighty leap, the cat took off and ran back towards the house. 

*******************8

Upon reaching the clearing where the house was located, White Blaze and Ryo saw a woman standing outside the Sanada home, umbrella in hand. "Ryo! Where are you?" She called, her voice filled with distress. 

Urging White Blaze to a walk, Ryo jumped off into the muddy ground. "Mom! Over here!" He called as he and his pet approached the house. 

The woman looked over towards the soaked boy and tiger as they came walking up. "Oh Ryo." She started, hugging the teen tightly as he came into reach. "Where were you? I was so worried." She asked, running her hand though her son's soaked hair. 

"White Blaze ran off and I went after him." Ryo told the woman. 

Suddenly, the teen let out a loud sneeze. Looking at him, Mrs. Sanada smiled. "Let's get you inside before you catch your death out here." She told her sniffling son as she lead him inside, with White Blaze at her heals. 

Shutting the door, Mrs. Sanada told her son to sit on the couch. As he did so, the woman rushed into the hallway and within moments, returned with the blanket from Ryo's bed. "Here honey." She stated softly, handing the shivering teen the blanket. 

"Th…Th…Thanks…M…m…mom." He stuttered out as he wrapped himself up in the blanket. 

Sitting down next to her son, the woman smiled. "Ryo, why were you really outside? I know for a fact that you wouldn't have been outside unless something was troubling you." She stated sweetly.

Ryo stared at his mother wide-eyed.  "How do you know that?" 

Laughing lightly, Mrs. Sanada placed a loving arm around her questioning son's shoulders. "Because I'm your mother. I know everything about you." Watching her son yawn as he laughed, she calmed down a bit. "And I can tell that someone needs to get some sleep. Unless you want to fall asleep in class tomorrow." 

Stretching out on the couch, Ryo placed his head on his mother's lap. "Thanks mom." He whispered as he fell asleep. 

White Blaze walked over to the two people on the couch. He growled a bit, causing Mrs. Sanada to placed a finger to her lips. "Shh. Don't wake him White Blaze." She stated, scratching the cat behind the ears. As the cat laid down for the rest of the night, Mrs. Sanada ran her fingers through her son's hair again. Ryo slowly adjusted his position on the couch and let out a harsh cough that made his mother's heart stop. As soon as he calmed again, the woman kissed her son's cheek. "My little boy. I love you so much. And your father will always as well."

************************

The next morning, Ryo awoke from a large wet lick swipe across his face. Opening his eyes slowly, the teen came face to face with his large White Tiger. "Hey boy. Morning." Ryo stated, ending his sentence with a cough. That's when he realized that he was still on the couch, his comforter still wrapped around him tightly. "It wasn't a dream. That man in the robes was the real thing." He murmured to himself. 

"Ryo honey. Are you awake?" His mother called sweetly from the kitchen. 

Sitting up, the youth shook out his messy black mane of hair. "Yea…I'm up." He shouted back, sniffling. 

Walking into the kitchen, Ryo let out another cough. "Ryo? Are you feeling alright?" His mother asked, switching into her sick detection system. "Because if you're not, then you are staying home."

"I'm fine. I have to go to school today. I have a test in Science class." He slurred out. 

White Blaze walked up to his master. The cat could tell that Ryo wasn't 100 percent, for he didn't crack a smile when the feline came up next to him and began to purr. 

Ryo placed a hand on top of the tiger's head and scratched him behind the ears. "Mom," He started, but suddenly he closed his eyes and began to slide out of his chair. 

Mrs. Sanada ran over from the stove and grabbed her son's shoulders. "Ryo, face me please." She asked calmly. Looking over at his mom, Ryo looked into his mother's blue eyes. Placing her hand onto her son's forehead, Mrs. Sanada felt for a temperature. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally pulled her hand away. "You're burning up honey. You must of caught something when you were out in the rain last night." Pointing towards the doorway towards the bedrooms, the woman stated. "You get into changed and into bed right now."

"But mom, I have a test. I can't afford to miss this. Please, just let me go to school and I'll call you if I don't feel well." Ryo begged. He never thought that he would be pleading with his mother to let him actually go to school. 

Looking at her son's face, the woman finally caved. "All right. But the moment that you don't feel right, you call me at the flower shop, okay?"

"Alright. I promise." Ryo murmured, trying to stifle a cough. 

After hardly touching his breakfast, Ryo changed out of the clothes he had been sleeping in all night and into a set of clean clothes. Then he left for school, not looking well at all. 

*********************

As the day wore on, Ryo started to feel worse and worse. He felt lightheaded whenever he stood from his desk and his vision would blur in and out of focus. Although six people, including Kento, Sai, Rowen, and Sage, asked if he was feeling all right, and every time he answered that he was just fine.

*********************

That day during Gym class, the guys sat outside on the track. They were dressed in their uniform gym clothes for cooler weather: a school sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants with non-street shoes. The boys' gym teacher, Mr. Kuno, rattled on about the art of track and field. Finally, after what was timed to be the longest speech about running, the teens moved to the line up for the 100-meter dash. 

"Sage, did you lighten your hair?" Sai asked, looking at Sage's hair in the afternoon sun. 

Sage looked at the Australian in question. "My mom asked me that on Friday. Everyone has told me that it looks lighter. It started after my meditation on Friday." Remembering back to last week, the youth thought about the monk he saw. "I saw this strange man dressed like a monk."

Rowen looked up from his place on the track at the ladies man of the group. "I saw something like that too. I dreamt it." He said in shock. 

"Same here." Kento added.

"Me too." Sai told as well. 

Kento looked over at his best friend. "By the way, Sai. Are you all right? You're sister called me on Saturday and told me that you almost drowned at the pool on Friday." He asked, concern etched on his words.

The two other teenagers stared wide-eyed at Sai. "Dude, what happened? You're the best swimmer in the entire school. How did it happen?" Rowen inquired. 

"I dove from the high dive, hit the water the wrong way and got knocked unconscious by the force. My sister got me out quick enough but…I don't remember a lot from when I was out." Sai informed. Lifting up his bangs, Sai showed the three youths the bandages wrapped around his brow. "My mom insisted that I get checked out by a real doctor and he said that I had a minor head injury. But nothing I couldn't handle." 

"Damn, you were lucky." Rowen said. "Some people have died diving off of high dives."

Sai smiled at his friend's concern. "I've been diving and swimming since I was three. It's all good."

As the teens waited for their turn to come, Kento looked over at Ryo, who was sitting on the ground next to the fence, his knees pulled to his chest. "Ryo, what's up? You're so quiet today. It's scaring me." He joked.

But the black-haired teen didn't even move. He didn't react at all. Ryo was too deep in thought to be reached. 'That man in the woods last night. He knew White Blaze. Hell, he knew me. But how?' He wondered. Ryo placed his cooled hand to his forehead. He felt as if he were on fire. 'Damnit. Maybe I'm just hallucinating from my fever.' That was all Ryo needed to settle his nerves. 

"Sanada! Mouri! Date! Rei Fuan! Hashiba! Get your heads out of the clouds and onto the track!" Mr. Kuno shouted, causing all five teens to jump to their feet. Stepping up to the starting line, the order of the teens followed: Rowen was in lane one, while Sage was next to him in lane two. Ryo was in the middle lane three, while Kento and Sai were in lanes four and five. 

"All four of ya are going down." Kento smiled as he tried to intimidate the other teens. 

"You'll win only they put a plate of cheeseburgers at the finish line." Sai shot back with a devilish sort of grin on his face. 

Suddenly, the couch blew the warning whistle. "On your marks…get set…GO!" With the sound of the whistle echoing through the cold December air, the five teens took off at a full sprint. At first, Rowen had taken the lead, but Sage quickly caught up with him. That's when Sai came out of nowhere, just about half an arms length ahead of them, with Kento right one his heels. But before any of them could pass each other, Ryo passed them all with ease. They all crossed the finish line with Ryo in first, Sai in second, Sage and Rowen tied for third and Kento with a close fourth. 

As they received their times from the couch, Rowen panted out. "Damn Ryo. You're fast. Ryo?" He asked looking up at his friend. 

Ryo was walking around by the fence. He was shaking and had drained of all his color. Placing his hands on top of the fence, his breath heaved in and out. "Ryo? Are you alright?" Sai asked, walking over to his friend. He placed a hand onto the youth's back, trying to calm his breathing. 

"Yea…I'm fine." The black-haired youth panted heavily. Standing up straight, Ryo turned and headed over towards his friends. That's when dizziness overwhelmed him. He grabbed his head as the track began to move under his feet. 

Rowen looked at Ryo with great concern. "Ryo, are you sure you're all right?" 

Shaking the uneasiness away from his eyes. "How many times must I say that I'm fine?" He asked, his voice still in a raspy, airy tone. Before he could gain a strong foothold, Ryo collapsed onto the track. He fell hard onto his side, laying completely still and lifeless.  

"Ryo!" His friends yelled, running over to their fallen comrade. Rowen bent down next to the teen and carefully turned him over onto his back. "Ryo? Hey buddy, answer me." The blue haired genius said softly to his friend, praying for a response. 

Sage and the others bent down next to their friend as well. "Dude, he's out cold." Kento said, stating the well known. 

"What's going on here?" Mr. Kuno barked as he walked over to the teens. "This is a track, not a tea hut. That the hell are you five doing!?" 

Sai stood up and got right in Mr. Kuno's face. "Sir, Ryo just passed out from a fever he has. If you don't like the fact that we are trying to help our friend, then maybe we should report you to the principal for lack of caring for a student's health. Now, do you give us permission to take our friend to the hospital wing or should I go straight to the main office?" The usually quiet Sai shouted. 

All the teacher could do was nod. Sai turned and went back to his group of friends. "Wow Sai, I didn't know you had it in you." Kento said, panting his friend on the back. 

"Yea well…" Sai blushed. 

Rowen looked Ryo over. "But you're right Sai. He did probably collapse from a fever. Kento…" The teen stated, grabbing his ash-haired teen's attention. "Can you carry him?" 

"No problem." Kento gloated, lifting Ryo into his arms. 

*********************

Upon entering the nurses' office, they heard a woman arguing with the nurse. "Mrs. Sanada, I don't see any reason for you to take your son home. He hasn't been in to see me all day." The woman in the white nurses' outfit stated to the woman sitting at her desk. 

"Listen, Ryo is my son. And I say he leaves." The black haired woman demanded. 

"Um, excuse us." Sage stated, breaking up the sparking catfight. "But, our friend passed out during gym class." 

Standing from the chair she was offered, Mrs. Sanada turned to face the other teens. All four youths stared in aw at the similarity between the two. The woman's black hair hung low to her mid back and she was wearing a black skirt with a red sweater set. Her tiger blue eyes matched Ryo's perfectly. "Woah…that is one close family resemblance." Kento whispered to the others, looking down at his friend he held and then at his mother. 

Walking past Mrs. Sanada, the thin-faced nurse walked up to the teens. Reaching down, she touched Ryo's forehead. The black haired youth immediately reacted by trying to pull away from the woman. "Hey, stop moving." She commanded. 

Pushing the nurse out of the way, Mrs. Sanada smiled as Kento and the others. "Would you please put Ryo down over on that cot over there," She paused, not knowing the teen's name. 

"Kento. This is Sai, Rowen and Sage. We're friends of your son." Kento explained, as he moved over to the cot. 

Placing Ryo down, he took a step back to join the others. Strolling past the adolescence's, Mrs. Sanada bent down next to her son. Leaning in close, she whispered, "Ryo? Ryo honey. Wake up." 

Ryo's blue eyes opened slowly to half-mast and fluttered a bit. "Mom?" He asked. 

"Yea, it's me. You're going home." She stated, and with that her son fell back to sleep.

"Do you mind if we come too?" Rowen asked, causing everyone in the room stare at him. "We've been with Ryo the whole day and we just want to make sure that he is alright."

Nodding, the woman came to her feet. "Very well. You boys are welcomed to come with us. Besides, I need some help to actually get him home."

******************************

The car ride to the Sanada home was almost completely in silence. The only talking done was when Kento tried to calm down a feverish Ryo. The sick teen was stretched out across Sage, Sai, and Kento. Rowen sat up front with Mrs. Sanada and kept looking back to see how the others were doing. 

When they arrived at the small house in the woods, its beauty shocked the teens. Small shrubs and flower bushes surrounded the small one story house. Although they were covered in a light frost, they still seemed so beautiful and rare.  There was a sparkling frost bitten lake in front of the house and a lush forest surrounding the rest of the clearing. 

Upon exiting the automobile, the teens looked around. "This place is beautiful." Sai breathed as he grabbed his backpack from the car. 

"We do try to keep the land as natural as possible up here." Mrs. Sanada laughed. 

Upon entering the house, the woman rushed over and down a narrow corridor. Then she rushed back to the teens. "I'll take him. I don't want you to upset our cat. He isn't used to strangers and can be very temperamental around new people." Handing Ryo to his mother, Kento and the others watched the woman disappear down the hallway. 

The four teens studied the cabin carefully. They were in a small living room that was very cozy. It had a large sofa with two chairs and a coffee table to go with it. There was a fireplace with a mantle over it that had tons of pictures on it. There was a small television in the corner with a VCR attached into it. 

"This place seems very comfortable to live." Sage told the others, who nodded in agreement. 

"We find it very comfortable." Mrs. Sanada answered happily as she reentered the room, carrying a tray of tea and snacks. 

**********************

As the teens and Mrs. Sanada sat and enjoyed the snacks, Ryo had awoken from his sleep again. He sat up quickly and looked around to see the familiar setting of his room. While he sat there, his head in his hands, White Blaze placed his paws up onto the bed and placed his head down onto the sheets. Looking over at the tiger, Ryo smiled. "Hey, are you worried about me?" The teen asked jokingly to his friend. 

The cat nodded his head and smiled as he placed his head onto the bed again. "Thanks buddy." Ryo said lovingly to his tiger as he scratched the cat's head. 

As Ryo settled to go back to sleep again, he suddenly heard the sound of something shatter from the kitchen. Sitting up rapidly, the youth jumped out of bed. Although the room was spinning, the young teen headed towards the door. White Blaze moved in front of him, trying to stop him from leaving. 

"White Blaze move. Something might have happened to mom." He told his loyal friend. 

**********************

That's how Ryo was when it came to his mother. Every time he heard something break or bang anywhere in the house, he would instantly go to her side. Ryo's mother was indeed a very ill woman, although she was very good at hiding it. She had a new form of heart disease that spreads through the heart, closing off each artery at a time. The disease moved slowly and the doctors estimated how long she had left. But no matter how many times Ryo told himself, it wasn't going to change anything. His mother was going to die and there was no way to stop it.

With each year that passed since she was diagnosed, she showed signs that she was getting weaker. She would collapse from shortness of breath and would sometimes have to be put in the hospital for blood transfusions. The doctors told her that she had less then ten years to live. 

That was when Ryo was five. A year before his father died and then he found out that his mother would soon die as well. These weren't things that he took easily. He knew that no matter what, he had to care for her until the unspeakable happened.

**************************

Staring at him, the cat finally moved out of the way. Smiling, Ryo ran over to the door. "Stay here." He instructed as he shut the door behind him. 

Walking towards the family room, a familiar voice rang into his ears. "Mrs. Sanada, I am so sorry."

"It's alright Kento." His mother sang sweetly. "We have six more cups like that one." 

Walking into the doorway, Ryo's eyes widened at the sight he saw. Rowen, Sage, Sai, and Kento were sitting in the family room with his mother, eating and drinking tea. 'They came all the way up here with my mom. But why?'

Clearing his throat softly, Ryo quietly asked. "Mom?"

Turning around from what they were doing, the four youths and Mrs. Sanada saw Ryo standing in the doorway, his eyes half opened. Standing from their seats, the teens smiled. "Hey Ryo, you're finally awake." Rowen said, a grin on his face. 

"Why are you gu—" But before his sentence, Ryo grabbed onto the doorframe for support. 

"I got ya, bud." Sage's voice suddenly said as Ryo felt the teen someone grab onto his shoulders.

Looking at the brown haired adolescent, Ryo smiled. "Thanks Sage."

"I'll take him back to his room." Ryo's mother told Sage nicely. 

As Mrs. Sanada took hold of her son, she turned to the other youths. "After I put Ryo back into bed, I'll take you boys home." 

"Thank you Mrs. Sanada." The teens said in unison.  

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~ Well? What do ya think so far? Once again, I would like to say sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Please Read and Review! ~


	5. The Circle of Ronin

Chapter Four CGS CGS 2 21 2001-11-04T01:20:00Z 2001-11-04T02:02:00Z 9 4493 25614 CGS 213 51 31455 9.2720 Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors. But one can dream of such good fortune… Chapter Four 

**_~ The Circle of Ronin ~_**

By: Lady Ava 

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            As the year wore on, the bond between the Ronin started to become stronger. Their friendship strengthened with everyday, which some minor fights between Kento and Sai over food. Sai would say don't eat it, while Kento said just the opposite. 

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            One day in April, the guys were sitting in their World Cultures class. It was the same old boring lectures as always about how the ruins of ancient cities where the keys to discovering our own past. As Mr. Fuji turned from the board, he had a devious look on his face. "I hate it when he gets that look. That means he has something planed. And it usually is never a good thing." Kento whispered to the rest of his friends. 

            "Class, as some of you might of heard, we are going on a little field trip." The educator announced.   

            All the teens shouted and began to celebrate happily about the news. The five guys seemed even happier than the rest of them. Placing his hands into the air, the teacher quieted his students. "We are going to the mountains to Camp Oneka for your class trip. It will be a one-week trip in the great outdoors with archery, rock climbing, dances and much more. The trip is next week so start packing now." Suddenly, the bell rang loudly. "Class dismissed." 

            Rowen smiled broadly as he stood from his desk and started to gather his books. "This is gonna be great. I have been looking forward to this trip all year." He told the other boys happily. 

            "Tell me about it." Sai added on, throwing his books into his bag. 

            Ryo sighed as he stood. He didn't seem as thrilled as the others about the trip. "Hey Ryo. Aren't you excited?" Kento asked as they headed for the door. 

            The black haired teen averted his gaze to the floor. "Not really. I live in the mountains where the trip is going to be. I take walks with my mom and my cat at that camp when the weather is nice." He explained, adjusting the strap to his backpack. 

            "You take your cat with you on your walks?" Sage questioned, a hint of dispute in his voice. 

            Blushing, Ryo smiled a dumb grin. 'Duh, they don't know that your cat is actually a 400 pound tiger.' The youth thought to himself as he laughed. "Yea well…" He finally managed to tell the others. 

            "Right. What ever you say, Ryo." Kento said, rolling his eyes. 

            Suddenly, the bell rang a two-minute warning. "Well, gotta go. See ya later." Ryo said, running off down the hallway. 

            The guys stood there as they watched their friend sprint off. "Ya know. I don't think Ryo is telling us the truth." Sage murmured flatly. 

            "About what?" Sai wondered as they started walking again. 

            "Why he isn't excited about the trip."

            "Aw Sage, you always read into these thing too much." Rowen told his friend, placing a gentle hand onto the brown haired teen's shoulder. Suddenly, Rowen did a double take. "Um, I have a question."

  
            Sage looked at the youth. "What?"

            "Did you lighten your hair?"

            "No. Why?"

            "Because it is starting to look a bit blonder." 

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            The week before the trip seemed to fly by faster than anything, until finally, the morning came. Sage stood next to the bus in which he and the other teens were assigned to. His brown hair seemed to shine in the early morning rays of the sun and the same went for his blue glassy eyes. While the youth stood there, three girls stood around him, talking and giggling about how wonderful they thought he was. 

            "Hey Sage, would you go out on a date with me when the trip is over?" A red haired girl asked sweetly, trying to win him over. 

            Suddenly, a black haired girl pushed her out of the way. "No way. He is going to take me out on a boat in the middle of the lake when we get to camp. Right Sage?" He asked, fluttering her eyelashes. 

            Blushing madly, Sage smiled. "Um, well…" His voice trailed off. Looking past the girls, he saw Rowen and Sai waving him over. "Will you excuse me?" He quickly said, sliding out from the circle he was in the center of. Walking quickly over to his two friends, Sage breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks guys. I needed an excuse to get out of there." 

            Sai flashed the victory sign. "No problem. We could see that you needed help." 

            Looking about, Rowen adjusted his sunglasses. "Hey, I wonder if Ryo and Kento are here yet?"

            "Did I hear my name mentioned?" Kento's voice said from behind the group. 

            Turning around, the three teens broke down laughing. Kento was dressed in a green t-shirt with a khaki vest over that had tons of pockets on it. He wore a pair of hiking boots and a pair of ripped baggy jeans. And on his head, Kento wore a large pair of sunglasses and a backwards baseball hat. "What it so funny?" He inquired, crossing his arms. 

            Wiping the tears from his eyes, Sai walked up to his friend. "Dude, I think you're a bit over dressed for our trip." He stated, trying to hold back his laughter.

            "What are you talking about? This is a perfect outfit." Kento defended. 

            Rolling their eyes, Sage and Rowen turned back to survey the area. The entire sophomore class was standing around, making sure that their luggage got on the baggage buses. The girls pretty much stuck together in one massive group, giggling and talking about how excited they were about the trip. The guys were playing Frisbee in the empty parking lot or were helping loading the luggage onto the buses. 

            "I don't see Ryo yet. I wonder what is taking him so long?" Rowen asked. 

            That's when the final teen in the group appeared from behind the last bus. He was carrying a backpack and a sleeping bag with a pillow attached onto it. Ryo handed his belonging to one of the teachers who were loading the bus with a smile on his face. As he turned away, he rubbed his eyes. Ryo looked as if he didn't get enough sleep the night before. 

            Walking up to the members of his small group, Ryo yawned. "Hey guys. Great morning, isn't it?" 

            "Yea. Perfect way to start our trip." Sage agreed. 

            Before the conversation could continue any further, Mr. Fuji's voice came over a megaphone that he was holding. "Everyone, please load the buses. We are now ready to leave." 

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            The bus ride up to the mountains was shorter than expected. Since it was so early in the morning, there was no traffic anywhere on the roads. Inside of the bus, the five teenagers were enjoying the ride up. Rowen was typing away on his laptop that he managed to sneak along. Kento and Sai sat there talked about random things that came to their minds. Unfortunately for Sage, girls were swamping him again until Kento told them to back off and invited Sage to sit in the three seater with him and Sai. 

            Ryo sat alone across from Rowen, who was stretched out across the three seater. He sat there, staring blankly out the window with his earphones on the entire time, staying completely silent. He would occasionally adjust his position in the seat, but that was the only bit of movement he did. 

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            Upon reaching the camp, the entire class was overwhelmed by its beauty. The road leading into the camp was lined with white and light pink cherry blossom trees. A light breeze flowed through the area, causing the petals to fall to the ground, creating a perfect scene. As the bus drove up to the unloading zone, they passed the tennis courts, the pool and the dining hall. 

            The buses finally came to a halt in front of the guys cabins. Since the boys had less stuff than the girls did, they figured that they would unload their stuff first. 

            Ryo, Kento, Sai, Rowen, and Sage found their belongings very quickly, then started looking for their cabin. "So, where exactly is our shack?" Kento questioned, fixing his backpack strap. 

            "Straight down his path. We're the last cabin at the end of the road. It's right next to the lake." Ryo told the others simply. 

            Sai smiled at his friend. "Man Ryo, you must of come here a lot with your mom and dad in order for you to have memorize where the cabins are." The Australian stated happily. 

            Ryo reached into his jeans back pocket and withdrew his sunglasses. Placing them on, he sighed. "Yea…a lot of times." He mumbled softly.   

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            Upon entering the cabin, the five youths instantly ran to the bed they wanted. There were six normal beds lining the walls, three on either side of the room. Then, against the back wall, there were two bunk beds, one on either side of a small doorway that lead to the showers. Windows ran around the sides of the cabin and between each bed there were three shelves standing for storage. 

            Rowen ran past the rest of the group and hoped up the ladder to one of the top bunks. "I call this one." He said as he flopped down onto the mattress. 

            "Then I get the other one." Kento claimed. 

            Sai walked over and placed his stuff down onto the twin sized bed next to Kento's. "I'll take this one."

            "I'll take the lower bunk below Rowen." Sage told the others as he went to place his stuff onto his bed. 

            Shrugging, Ryo walked over silently and sat down on the bed opposite to Sai. As he sat there, his thoughts began to wander out of his surroundings. As the others talked about what they were doing to first, the black haired adolescent sighed softly. 'I shouldn't let this get to me. I'm here to have fun.' He thought, shaking his head. 

            "Hey Ryo, are you coming?" Rowen's voice called, clearing his thoughts away. 

            "Where?" He asked, standing from his bed. 

            Laughing, Sai rolled his eyes. "To check this place out."

            Returning the smiles of the other teens, Ryo ran over to meet up with the others and together they left the cabin. 

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            The five youths discovered that this camp a lot more to offer than they had expected. There was archery, swimming, wall climbing, fencing, soccer, and a lot more. The first thing on their list of things to do was archery. None of them have ever tried it before, so they figured they would give it a whirl. 

            After a brief lesson, curtsey of their English teacher, they were ready to actually try shooting at a target. "So, how do you hold it again?" Kento asked to his friends, holding up the bow. 

            Sage placed his bow under his arm and placed Kento's figure's into the proper position for firing an arrow. "Just…like…that…" The brown haired youth told. 

            "Dude, why are we doing this first again?" The ash haired teen questioned as he examined how Sage placed his figures. 

            Turning around, Ryo rolled his eyes. "Because Rowen convinced us to. He said, and I quote. 'I'll do archery first…only if you guys come with me…' damn his mind games." He murmured, causing the others to laugh. 

            "Hey guys, it's our turn." Rowen said happily. 

            The five teens walked up to the shooting line of their respected target. Taking an arrow from the pile that was provided for them, they placed the missal into the bow. Then drawing it back, they aimed and then fired. 

            Kento jumped into the air happily. "I hit it. I hit the target!" He triumphantly declared. 

            "You hit the target alright." Sai said softly. "MY TARGET!" 

            Halting his celebration, the built youth stared over at the line of points. Sure enough, Sai had two arrows in his target, and he had none on his own. Slumping over, Kento pouted. "Damnit…" 

            Sage smiled happily at his work. "I hit it…but I hit the outside rim of the target." He said, shrugging. 

            "I didn't hit it." Ryo told the others. Looking over at him, the three boys saw the blue eyed teen pointed over towards the trees. "I hit a tree instead." He laughed. 

            That's when they heard a bunch of people gasp from behind. Turning to see what the excitement was, Ryo, Sai, Kento, and Sage couldn't help but gasp as well. Rowen stood staring at his target. He had hit it perfectly in the middle. A direct hit. "Whoa…a bull's eyes." Sage said. 

            Suddenly, Rowen reached down and took another arrow from the small pile. Placing it into the bow once again and pulling back, the blue haired genius let the arrow fly. Once again, it made a direct hit in the center of the target. The teacher and the other students who where watching applauded wildly as Rowen studied his work again. Then, the teen repeated the same movements perfectly one after the other, after the other. And each time, he made a direct hit in the center of the target. 

            Finally, Rowen placed his bow onto the ground, turned, and bowed to the crowed that were clapping loudly. Then he walked over to join his friends, who were staring at him wide-eyed. "Well, that was fun." He said simply, as if what he had just accomplished was nothing. 

            "Rowen," Sage started as their small group began to head for the wall climb, "You said that you NEVER done archery before?" 

            Nodding, Rowen placed his hands behind his head. "Nope." 

            Sai looked over at the Rowen in question. "So then, how did you manage to pull of ten bull's eyes in a row?" 

            Averting his eyes to the sky, Rowen began to think. "Well, I don't really know. It just sorta came to me. As soon as I held the bow and arrow in my hands, I knew exactly what I had to do." He told them simply, as if it were nothing. 

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            As the day wore on, nothing out of the ordinary happened, except for Rowen at the archery range. The guys played a game of soccer and then took a break for lunch. Then, after watching Kento shallow three hamburgers whole, they decided to play basketball. Sai dominated the game, stealing the ball from them easily. This came as a surprise to the other boys. Not only was Sai a great swimmer, but an out of this world basketball player as well. Ryo, Sai, Kento, Sage, and Rowen played that until dinner rolled around about six that night. Once more, Kento ate like a pig, causing Rowen and Ryo to lose their appetites. 

******************************

            When dinner was over, the teens headed back to their cabin. Although they were sweaty and a bit sunburned from their game, they were still in good spirits.

            "Man, that was so much fun!" Rowen declared, as he lugged his tired body up the stairs into the cabin. 

            Sage yawned as he too walked inside and over to his bed. "Tell me about it. I am hurting all over, but I couldn't care less." He said contently as he threw himself onto his bed. 

            Kento climbed up to his bed and unzipped his backpack. After spilling the contents of the bag on his bed, he gave out a cry of happiness. "I found my stereo!" He shouted, removing a small boom box from the black bag. 

            "You brought that with you?" Sai asked as he searched for a clean shirt to wear. 

            "I can't survive an entire week without music." He told the rest of the group as he withdrew he withdrew his black CD case.

            Sage stuck his head out from his bed. "As long as you put on something quiet, I won't kill you." He said in a joke threating tone.

            Smiling, Kento withdrew a burned CD and placed it into the player. Then, placing it onto the shelf next to his bed, the youth pressed play. 

            The song started off softly, the distance sound of bells in the background. Sage sighed at the silent sound of the bells clanged. But this silence was quickly replaced by the sound of loud electric guitars and drums. The brown haired Sage shot up in bed and stared evilly at Kento, who was playing air guitar. "Kento! What the hell is this?" He shouted. 

            "Metallica's Ride the Lighting. It's the quietest thing I have in my collection." The teen said innocently. 

            Standing from his bed, Sage stormed angrily over to the air guitar playing, ash-haired hair, hard headed youth. Looking up at him, he shot a venomous look at Kento.  "Turn off that noise before I chuck it into the lake." He stated in a blood hungry tone. 

            Kento smiled evilly. He couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. "You wouldn't dare." 

            Before any of the boys knew what happened, Sage reached up and grabbed the disc player and made a mad rush for the door. "HEY! GET BACK HERE WITH THAT!" Kento shouted as he and the others gave chase after Sage. 

****************************

            The lake at night was a sight to behold. The cherry blossom trees that lined the road also encircled the body of water, creating the perfect illusion of the water being tinted pink. A light breeze blew through as the five teens ran along the shore. 

            Sage ran out onto a small wooden dock and held out the music player out over the crystal clear water. "I warned you Kento. I said I would throw it in…and I will." The youth taunted, swinging the CD player out over the lake.    

            "Sage, I'm sorry. I didn't it. It was just a joke." Kento pleaded as he saw his CD player dangling helplessly over the water. 

            Sai stepped up so that he was next to Kento. "Aw come on Sage. This lug head didn't mean anything wrong." 

            But before anymore pleads could come out, the brown haired ladies man simply laughed. Turning around, he threw the CD player back to Kento. "Please, do you actually think I would throw that into the lake? What kind of person do you take me for?" He laughed as he saw the shocked expressions of his best friends. 

            As the others started to laugh as well, the breeze began to pick up. Suddenly, a loud, ear-piercing roar silenced the laughter of the teenagers. "What the hell was that?" Rowen asked as he and the others, turned and stared into the darkened woods. 

            Looking deeper and deeper into forest, the boys saw a pair of eyes staring at him. They were a deep brown and seemed to glow in the darkness. Suddenly, the same roar shattered the silence. "Whatever it is, it is getting closer." Kento cowered, taking a giant step backwards towards Sage. 

            Ryo's eyes narrowed. He knew that roar like the back of his hand. Taking a step forward, Ryo headed towards the forest. "Ryo! What the hell do you think you are doing?" Sage shouted, his voice shaking a bit. 

            "I'm going to see what it is." He told the others calmly. As he approached the edge of the woods, a large White Tiger jumped out from behind the bushes and landed in between Ryo and the others. "White Blaze?" Ryo murmured softly. 

            Rowen, Sage Kento, and Sai all took a giant step backwards so that they were on the edge of the dock. "I…I…Its a tiger!" Sai shouted in shock. 

            The large cat stared at the four teens on the dock with his beautiful brown eyes. Then, he turned back to Ryo and stared into his eyes. The teen and tiger stood there and stared at each other, not moving or blinking. All they did was stare. At last, the cat turned away and ran forward a bit on the shores of the lake. Then, halting in his steps, he stared backed at Ryo and at Rowen, Sai, Sage, and Kento. He moved his head, as if wanting them to follow him and then started to walk away. 

            "Good, he's leaving." Kento breathed out. 

            "Hey Ryo! You okay?" Rowen called as he and the others ran off the dock and to their friend. 

            But Ryo didn't answer them. He kept his eyes to the ground as they approached. He seemed to be in culture shock about what had just happened. "Ryo dude. Are you okay?" Kento questioned, hitting the black haired teen on the back playfully. 

            Ryo raised his head up and stared at the tiger that was still walking away slowly. "We need to follow him." He said in a low tone of voice.

            Sage grabbed his friend's shoulders and shook him a bit. "Ryo, you aren't talking any sense. You want to follow a tiger to god knows where." He explained, sounding as if he was the one who had just met the cat face to face. 

            Pushing away from the group, Ryo started off in a run to catch up with the cat. "Ryo! Come back!" Rowen yelled, giving chase after the teen. 

            "Hey, we're not staying here! Wait up!" Sai called as he, Kento, and Sage ran to catch up with Rowen and Ryo. 

            As the teens began to approach him, White Blaze nodded. Then facing forward, he broke into a run. The cat lead the guys along the shores of the lake and then, he made a sharp turn into the woods. Ryo and the others followed the cat's movements as they too make a quick turn into the dark forest. 

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            Ryo, Rowen, Sai, Sage, and Kento ran their hardest, trying to dodge fallen branches and up grown roots as they followed the tiger. As they ran, it seemed to get easier and easier for them to move, duck, and dodge whatever was in front of them. 

*******************************

            Finally, after what seemed like eternity, they saw the tiger halt in a clearing. Skidding to a stop, the five youths stared at the surrounding area in aw. There was a small stone shrine in the center of the opened area. It seemed to be from the time of Feudal Japan, for it had that style about it. Moss and vines had grown up the walls and on the stairs of the temple, giving it an ancient look about it.

            "Whoa…What it this place?" Sai asked the members of the group. 

            While the teens continued to stare at the structure, White Blaze headed up the stairs to the top of the shrine. Halting at the top, he let out another glass shattering roar, then vanished inside. "Hey! Come back here!" Ryo shouted as he started up the stairs himself. 

            "Here we go again." Kento sighed as the others ran to catch up with the leader of the group. 

            Upon reaching the top of the high stone steps, the teenagers slowly made their way inside the darkened shrine. The smell of lavender incense hung lightly in the air and the air had changed from comfortable to very warm. Pillars lined the walls and within the breaks between the columns stood ancient samurai armor. Each piece of armor seemed to have been well persevered, for it all seemed to be in tact. 

            "Man, this place is like a museum." Rowen said to the other quietly as he examined his new surroundings. 

            Staring down at the end of the hallway, Ryo saw a familiar scene before him. A stone altar stood and a fire lit behind it. "I've…been here." He said flatly. 

            The other boys stared at the wide-eyed Ryo. "What do you mean, 'you've been here'?" Kento asked. 

            "In my dreams. Except, there's no monk. There was always an ancient monk standing before me. He kept calling me Wildfire." Ryo explained quickly. 

            Sage raised his visible eyebrow. "I've seen the same guy. Except he called me Halo." He admitted.

            "The same dude called me Hard Rock." Kento told. 

            "And he called me Strata." Rowen added on. 

            "He called me Torrent." Sai informed. 

            Suddenly, a rush of wind blew threw the temple. The harsh wind caught the teens off guard, causing them to fall to their knees. They tried to shed themselves from the rushed air, but it had no effect. As they sat helpless on the floor, the sound of metal hitting metal echoed to their ears. Looking up at the altar, Ryo, Kento, Sai, Rowen, and Sage saw the man from their visions appear before them. He was dressed in his familiar robes and hat. His leather spice bag hung squarely around his neck and the golden staff was held tightly in his right hand. 

            "Do not fear me Ronin Warriors. I am a friend." He told, his voice echoing through the now dying winds. 

            As he came into view, the winds stopped, leaving the youths on the floor in a massive pile. Jumping to his feet, Ryo stared the man down. "What did you call us?" He demanded, his tiger eyes burning with question. 

            "You five have been chosen." The monk murmured, ignoring Ryo's questioned. 

            Coming to his feet as well, Sage stood next to Ryo. "Chosen for what?" The youth questioned as he and Ryo were joined by the others. 

            "To save the earth from the powers of darkness." The ancient man told the teens. Moving to the side, he revealed the altar once again. As he began to speak again, an image appeared in the flames behind the table. Within the fire, a picture of a demon appeared. He was massive in height and wore armor that was as black as the night. He wore a mask to shield his face that had two ivory horns coming out from the top of it. "Over 1000 years ago, an evil warlord named Talpa entered our world with an unholy army of the devil. He wanted to control our world and its people. But, after a harsh battle, he was sent back to his world." 

            Kento watched in question, like the rest of his friends. "So, what does that have to with us? And who are you?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

            Smiling, the monk bowed. "I am known as the Ancient One. I am the guardian of this shrine and the guardian of you, the Ronin Warriors. 

            "Ronin what?" Rowen inquired, raising an eyebrow. 

            The Ancient One smiled once again. "You must believe me. I am here to guide you on your path to your destiny. Please approach the altar." He requested.

            Not wanting to question the mysterious man, the five teens approached the stone table.  As they stepped closer to the place of prayer, they saw five small glass orbs sitting on stone supports. Each one was clouded in a grayish color and didn't seem very special. Behind them, engraved on the wall, where the names of five natural beings. 

            Looking across the wall, Rowen read them carefully. "Wildfire, Halo, Torrent, Hark Rock, and Strata?" 

            "These mystical orbs belong to you." The man dressed in robes told the questionable youths. 

            Reaching out to grab the orb under the word wildfire, Ryo touched it lightly. "I guess this one it mine." He said as he clenched it in his fist. Suddenly, a rush of red light flowed from the ball. It covered the youth completely, causing him to yelp a bit. But was the others vanished from his vision, the black haired teenager became suddenly calm. 'You are the Wildfire Warrior. Ryo, you are to lead the battle against Talpa.' The Ancient One's whispered to him softly. 

            As Ryo looked into the light, the orb in his hand floated into view. Suddenly, the light began to enter the sphere so that the temple was clear in view once again. Then, it floated over to the teen and halted in front of his chest. It shown another dim glow of red as a chain appeared around his neck and attached the ball to him. "Whoa…" He mumbled as he stared down at the orb. Within the, now gray, sphere glowed a small symbol. "Virtue?" Ryo asked as he held it in his palm. 

            Looking around, the wildfire warrior saw that the others had the orbs in their hands, with it too attached around their necks. "What do yours say?" He asked. 

            "Mine says Life." Rowen stated. 

            "Trust." Sai told, looking at the orb in amazement. 

            "Justice. Kinda suits me." Kento laughed. 

            "I have Wisdom." Sage added, tufting his hair out of his eyes. 

            Looking up at the monk, the teens stared at him in question. "Those are the orbs that will connect you to your armor." He told them. 

            "Armor? What armor?" Kento asked, now becoming a bit scared. 

            Pointing over the wall where the writing was engraved, The Ancient One began to tell them. "The names I told you in your dreams is the name of your armor gears. You are the last hope for this world."

            "And the characters in the spheres?" Sage questioned. 

            "It is what powers your armor to continue to fight. And what keeps you strong and connected to one another." Suddenly, the rings on the man staff began to clang their haunting melody once again. "I sorry I can't talk any longer."  

            Rowen took a step towards the fading man. "Hey wait! What are we suppost to do now?" He called, but the metal upon metal clanging together covered his shouts. 

            A soft and almost inaudible whisper flowed into the song of the rings. "I will come to you. But be warned, there are some side effects to your powers that will change you permanently."

"What kind of side effects?" Sai shouted. 

But the monk didn't answer him. The last word that was spoken from the man was, "Farewell." The Ancient One told them softly and with that, he was gone, leaving the teen's standing alone in the dark depths of the temple. 

"Dude," Kento began as he saw the necklace around his throat glow a bit. "Now what?"

The five Ronin stared at each other in question. That's when the culture shock of what had just occurred began to set in. "We're…going to be…warriors?" Sai murmured softly as he slid down to the floor, looking at his pendant. 

Rowen studied his orb carefully. "I guess so. But that monk wasn't exactly clear as to what we are suppost to do now." He explained. Lifting the chain to his necklace up, the youth tried to take it off. "What the…I can't get this thing off." 

Grabbing the back of his chain, Sage attempted to pull of his kanji orb. But the harder he tried to pull, the tighter the necklace became. Finally, he gave up and let it fall onto his chest again. "I can't mine off either."

Kento and Sai shrugged and tried to pull theirs off. After five minutes of yanking and pulling, the Hard Rock and Torrent warriors couldn't manage to yank it off. "Man, what kinda chain is this?" Kento complained as he dropped the necklace to his shirt. 

"The new steel?" Sai suggested, causing the other three Ronin to laugh. "Hey Ryo, what do you think?"

But the Wildfire warrior was complete silent and staring down at the kanji orb. He seemed to be the most culture shock out of them all. His hand was shaking a bit, as if he were cold. But the others knew that wasn't the case. "Ryo? Is something wrong?" Sage questioned, placing a hand onto his friend's trembling shoulder. 

Jumping a bit, the black haired youth turned and stared at his friend. "Oh sorry." He mumbled. "I was thinking about what he said about the armors."

"What about them?" Rowen asked. 

"Well, he said that the symbols in our orbs represent what our armors mean. Mine is fueled my virtue and is called Wildfire." He stated as he started to relax again.      

            Sai rose to his feet and joined in the conversation. He too was intrigued. "So, what are you getting at exactly?" 

Holding his pendant in his fist, Ryo closed his eyes. "That we must try to connect to our armor. We have to form the Ronin armors."

The others nodded in silence. Ryo, Kento, Sai, Rowen, and Sage stood in a circle and looked at each other. They all seemed to be a bit excited over what was to come and at the same time, absolutely scared out of their skin. All they knew was that they were about to be tested in the biggest thing in their entire lives. 

"Um, one question." Kento finally said, causing the others to look over at him. As he felt the four pairs of eyes rest upon him, the youth gulped. "How are we suppost to get back to camp? We followed that tiger here but he has now seemed to have vanished. So, was anyone paying attention to where we were going exactly?"

Silence echoed through the temple as the five teens stood in thought. Suddenly, the familiar clanging of the Ancient's staff cut through the dank shrine. Turning back towards the altar, the five Ronin was a blinding flash of light and then everything went dark. 

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~ I hope you all are enjoying this latest chapter. More coming soon! Please Read and Review! ~


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